BMC power play: Former mayor Kishori Pednekar elected as leader of Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators after Mahayuti secures majority

MUMBAI: Former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar was on Wednesday elected leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators, days after she won the Mumbai Municipal Corporation polls from Ward No. 199, defeating Rupal Kusale of the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde.Her elevation comes amid a sweeping victory by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance in the Maharashtra civic elections, where it bagged 25 of 29 municipal corporations, including the prestigious Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The outcome ended the Thackeray family’s nearly three-decade hold over the BMC.In the 227-member BMC, the Mahayuti crossed the majority mark of 114 by securing 118 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 29 seats.The Shiv Sena (UBT) finished with 65 seats to lead the opposition, while the Indian National Congress won 24 seats. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) made gains with eight seats in Mumbai, while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) secured six.The Shiv Sena (UBT), which contested in alliance with the MNS, polled 7,17,736 votes (13.13% vote share), while the MNS added 74,946 votes (1.37%). The Congress secured 2,42,646 votes, translating to a 4.44% vote share.Elsewhere, the Shinde-led Sena retained its dominance in Thane by winning 75 of 131 seats, while in Navi Mumbai the BJP captured the civic body for the first time with 65 seats. Among smaller parties, the Nationalist Congress Party won three seats, the Samajwadi Party two, and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) one.Overall, candidates from recognised parties polled 26,07,612 votes—47.72% of the total 54,64,412 votes cast—while 11,677 voters opted for NOTA. The results underline a fragmented yet competitive civic mandate, with alliances playing a decisive role in shaping the BMC’s final outcome.