The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance appears to be on track for a significant win in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, as per exit polls. The alliance is reportedly facing minimal opposition from the Thackeray brothers. Two exit polls have indicated a strong mandate for the BJP-Sena coalition, with the Thackeray siblings lagging behind by a considerable margin. Meanwhile, the Congress-led alliance is anticipated to have a poor performance.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti alliance seem to be the preferred choice for migrants from North and South India, as well as expected to secure a substantial share of Maratha votes. In contrast, the Thackeray cousins are struggling to consolidate Marathi and Muslim votes, with doubts arising even within these voter segments regarding their support for the Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) alliance.
Exit polls by Axis My India and JVC suggest a sweeping victory for the BJP and Shiv Sena in the fiercely contested BMC elections. According to JVC, the BJP-Sena alliance is poised to win 138 wards, while Shiv Sena-UBT may secure 59 wards. The Congress-led alliance is significantly trailing and is expected to win only 23 wards.
Axis My India’s polls predict a victory in 131-151 wards for the BJP-Sena alliance, with 58-68 seats projected for the Shiv Sena-UBT-led coalition. Another polling agency, The Sakal Poll, views the BMC contest as a close battle between BJP-Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena(UBT)-MNS, with the former holding a slight edge over the Thackeray brothers.
The BMC elections witnessed the reunion of Thackeray cousins, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, after nearly two decades of political estrangement. Uddhav Thackeray led the Shiv Sena-UBT, while Raj Thackeray spearheaded the MNS, setting aside their longstanding differences to face the challenge posed by the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the BMC polls.
