The alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has clinched a clear victory in the Mumbai municipal elections, marking a historic shift in the city’s political landscape. The result paves the way for a mayor from the BJP–Shinde combine to take charge of Asia’s wealthiest civic institution after many years.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has emerged as the central figure behind the BJP’s impressive performance. The party has improved on its 2017 tally of 82 seats and is currently ahead in 88 of the 227 wards. With the Shinde-led Sena leading in around 28 seats, the ruling coalition has comfortably crossed the halfway requirement of 114.

The outcome also reflects the challenges faced by Eknath Shinde in holding on to the traditional Shiv Sena support base after the party split. Although a large section of corporators from the undivided Sena had joined him earlier, his faction’s numbers have remained modest, hovering around the 30-seat mark.

Reacting to the mandate, Shinde described the verdict as an endorsement of governance and development. Speaking to India Today, he said voters had rejected corruption and rewarded the work done by the Mahayuti government over the past three-and-a-half years. On the question of who would become mayor, he avoided a direct reply, stating only that the post would go to a representative of the alliance.

Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, however, has managed to retain a significant presence, leading in about 72 seats. While this is lower than the 84 seats won by the undivided Sena in 2017, it indicates that the Thackeray-led outfit continues to command loyalty in several pockets of the city despite losing the party symbol and organisational strength.

Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane welcomed the early trends, describing them as a validation of the alliance’s ideological campaign. In a social media post, he linked the victory to the Hindutva narrative and celebrated the coalition crossing the majority mark.

The results signal a major realignment in Mumbai politics, with the BJP emerging as the dominant force in the civic body and the Shinde Sena replacing the Thackeray camp as its primary partner.