NEW DELHI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday credited the BJP-led Mahayuti’s sweeping performance in the state’s municipal elections to its development agenda saying Hindutva and development were inseparable for the party.He said, “Hindutva has always been our soul; one cannot differentiate our Hindutva from development”
“First of all, I want to thank the citizens of Maharashtra for giving a grand victory to the BJP in the municipal elections. BJP and Mahayuti are going to form their 25 mayors after these elections,” Fadnavis said while addressing supporters after the results.He said the alliance had contested the civic polls with a clear focus on governance and infrastructure. “We faced these elections with a vision of development under the leadership of PM Modi… That is why we got a record-breaking mandate in these elections… These results have clarified that Maharashtra relies a lot on PM Modi,” he added.As per trends till Friday evening, the BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti was leading in a majority of municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The saffron alliance was ahead on 130 of the 227 BMC seats, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 114. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 93 seats, while its ally Shiv Sena was leading on 27.Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar said the BMC verdict reflected Mumbai’s endorsement of the alliance’s development agenda. “First of all, I want to thank the people of Mumbai and express my gratitude for reposing faith in the BJP alliance… This mandate has been given for the development of Mumbai. We have won the trust of Mumbai’s people by dedicating to them important projects like the Metro Rail Network, Coastal Road, and Trans Harbour Link, and this mandate shows the desire of Mumbai’s people for the city’s development,” he said.The BMC elections were held after a gap of eight years, with the previous polls conducted in 2017. Mumbai is set to get a new mayor after nearly four years, as the term of the last elected mayor, Kishori Pednekar, ended in March 2022.Elsewhere in the state, the BJP also posted strong leads in other key civic bodies. In Pune Municipal Corporation, the BJP was leading on 90 of the 165 seats, while the NCP was at 20. The Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance was leading in 10 seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena stood at two.The Mahayuti also crossed majority marks in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Jalna and Vasai-Virar, according to trends.Congratulating party leaders, CM Fadnavis called up state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan and Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam as the alliance surged ahead in the civic polls. Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane hailed the results, saying the Mahayuti was set to occupy mayoral posts across most municipal corporations.“It seems that everything is being prepared for people with the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘I Love Mahadev’ mindset, and those belonging to the Mahayuti alliance, to occupy most of the mayor’s seats,” Rane said in a social media video.Polling for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra was held on Thursday, with counting taking place on Friday.
