Maharashtra civic polls: AIMIM wins 114 seats; expands footprints

MUMBAI: Amid the BJP’s strong performance in the Maharashtra civic elections, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) also made significant gains, particularly in Muslim-majority wards across the state. Led by Asaduddin Owaisi, the party won 114 seats across the state, according to AIMIM leader Shareque Naqshbandi. The party drew strong support in cities including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Malegaon, Amravati, Nanded, Dhule, Solapur, Mumbai, Thane, Jalgaon, and Chandrapur.It won 33 seats in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while its Malegaon and Amravati tallies stood at 21 and 15, respectively. In Nanded, 13 AIMIM candidates tasted victory, while 10 were victorious in Dhule, eight in Solapur, and six in Mumbai. The party won five seats in Thane, two in Jalgaon, and one in Chandrapur.In Mumbai, AIMIM candidate Mehzabin Khan won from Ward No. 134, giving the party its maiden seat in the country’s richest municipal corporation. Earlier, AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan expressed confidence ahead of the results, dismissing exit polls as unreliable. Speaking to ANI, Pathan said exit polls often fail to reflect the final outcome and asserted that the party would register strong gains once counting concludes.“We are confident that the people have blessed us with their votes. By tomorrow evening, the results will be clear, and AIMIM will achieve great success,” he said.Maharashtra went to the polls for 29 municipal corporations, including the prestigious Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with stakes high for the Thackeray brothers as also BJP-Shiv Sena after the ruling Mahayuti alliance's stupendous victory in the assembly polls last year.