With mayoral elections completed in 28 of Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations, the Bharatiya Janata Party has emerged as the dominant political force in urban local bodies, securing a decisive majority by winning 20 mayoral posts and 17 deputy mayor posts.

The lone exception is the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation, where the mayoral election is scheduled for February 20. The contest in the 90 member House, where the majority mark stands at 46, has drawn 10 candidates for Mayor and seven for Deputy Mayor.

Of the 28 municipal corporations where mayors have been elected, the BJP has secured 20 posts, accounting for over 71 percent of the total declared so far. The remaining eight mayoral positions are distributed among the Shiv Sena with three, Shiv Sena UBT with one, Congress with one, NCP with one, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi with one and one held by the Samajwadi Party in Malegaon.

In deputy mayor elections, the BJP has secured 17 of the 28 posts, further consolidating its hold. The remaining deputy mayor positions are shared among Shiv Sena 4, Congress 2, and one each from NCP, Shiv Sena UBT, BVA, RPI A, Yuva Swabhiman and Samajwadi Party.

In 13 corporations, the BJP holds both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts, while 15 corporations reflect split mandates where the two posts are shared between different parties.

A significant feature of this election cycle is the high representation of women in civic leadership. Of the 29 corporations across Maharashtra, 19 mayoral posts are reserved for women under the rotation policy. In the 28 corporations where elections have been completed, seven mayors elected so far are women, underscoring the continued impact of reservation in urban local governance.

Women mayors are currently heading key corporations including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Mira Bhayander, Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Pune, Kolhapur, Nanded Waghala, Latur, Akola, Nagpur, Chandrapur and Jalna, among others.