BJP Breaks Shiv Sena’s Three-Decade Stronghold in BMC; Many Political Heavyweights Lose Their Seats

In a historic shift, the BJP emerged as the largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on Friday, ending nearly three decades of Shiv Sena dominance. The party also secured victory in Pune, with the BJP-led alliance projected to win approximately 125 of the 227 BMC seats. The BMC, India’s wealthiest municipal body, has a budget of ₹74,427 crore for 2025-26.

High-Profile Defeats:
Much like in the recent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, several political heavyweights lost in the BMC polls. Veteran civic leader Ravi Raja, who had served as a municipal councillor for 25 consecutive years, lost his first BMC election from Ward 185. BJP’s Vinod Mishra, contesting from Ward 43, also faced defeat in his second attempt. Rajul Patel of Shinde Sena, a four-time councillor, was defeated by Congress’s Divya Singh. Even Katran Malik, brother of NCP leader Nawab Malik, failed to secure a win.

Notable Winners:
Among those who retained or secured seats were Sanjay Ghadi (Shinde Sena), Asraf Azmi (Congress), Dr. Saeeda Khan (NCP – Ajit Pawar faction), Shraddha Jadhav (Uddhav Sena), Tejaswi Ghosalkar (BJP), Ganesh Khadkar (BJP), Deepak Tawde (VVP), Ajanta Yadav (Congress), Tejinder Singh Tivana (VVP), and BJP’s Makarand and Harshita Narvekar.

Former Mayors Retain Their Seats:
Four former mayors also succeeded in this election. Milind Vaaiy, Vishakha Raut, Kishori Pednekar, and Shraddha Jadhav (Ward 202) managed to secure victories under the Uddhav Thackeray faction.

Rajan Vichare’s Family Faces Defeat:
In Thane, following the Shiv Sena split, former MP Rajan Vichare aligned with Uddhav Thackeray. His wife, Nandini Vichare, was also a sitting councillor. The BMC elections turned into a battle for the Vichare family’s political survival. BJP’s Kajol Gunjijan defeated Nandini Vichare in Ward 12 by 2,111 votes — Kajol securing 12,355 votes to Nandini’s 10,244. This marks the third consecutive municipal election loss for Rajan Vichare’s family following Lok Sabha and Assembly defeats.

Internal BJP Rivalries:
In Bhivandi, former BJP opposition leader Shyam Agrawal lost by just 21 votes to independent rebel candidate Nitesh Ainkar. Nitesh secured 6,075 votes. On the other hand, BJP’s Narayan Ratan Choudhary registered a landslide victory with a margin of 7,038 votes, defeating independent candidate Ravikant Patil, who received only 2,603 votes.

Generational Battles in Politics:
The elections also witnessed clashes between the next generation of political families. Ad. Mayuresh Patil, son of former mayor Vilas Patil, defeated BJP MLA Mahesh Chaughule’s son, Mit Chaughule, by 1,697 votes in a contest where both candidates’ political credibility was at stake.

The results reflect not just a BJP surge in urban Maharashtra but also a significant shake-up among established political families, with veteran leaders and dynastic candidates experiencing notable defeats.