The results of the local body elections in Maharashtra have reinforced the BJP’s position as the country’s most dominant political force, with little effective competition at present. No other party appears to match the BJP in terms of leadership, organisational strength, or financial resources. After falling short of a clear majority in the 2024 general elections, the party has staged a strong comeback, registering decisive victories in the assembly elections of Maharashtra, Haryana, and Bihar in quick succession.
The opposition, particularly Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has raised allegations of “vote rigging,” but these claims have found limited resonance. While voters may acknowledge the possibility of minor irregularities, there is little belief that such issues could occur on a scale large enough to alter electoral outcomes.
Ahead of the Maharashtra polls, an unexpected political signal also emerged from the South. In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala—traditionally a stronghold of the Congress and Left parties—the BJP managed to secure the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. This is notable given that senior Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Priyanka Gandhi represent Thiruvananthapuram and nearby Wayanad, respectively. Overall, the BJP’s performance in Kerala’s local body elections was considered respectable, with reports indicating the presence of over 5,100 RSS branches in the state. The impact of this long-term organisational and ideological groundwork is now becoming increasingly evident. With elections approaching in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, and Kerala, the opposition faces growing challenges.
The ripple effects of the Maharashtra results are likely to be felt nationwide. The BJP has emerged as the largest party in 25 of the state’s 29 municipal corporations, winning around 1,400 seats, compared to the Congress’s 324. Bridging this widening gap presents a daunting task for the Congress. Just a year earlier, the party had already suffered a significant defeat in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Once a Congress bastion for decades and among India’s most prosperous states, Maharashtra has now become a symbol of the party’s decline. Founded in Mumbai 140 years ago, the Congress now finds itself weakened in the very city that once served as its political heart. Notably, the ₹74,000 crore budget of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region exceeds the combined budgets of Himachal Pradesh and Goa, underscoring the scale of influence at stake.
Mumbai has also changed. It’s no longer just the city of the ‘Marathi Manoos’ (Marathi people), which was once under the iron rule of Bal Thackeray. Now it’s becoming a city for everyone, which is why the ‘Marathi identity’ card didn’t work this time. The BJP received more support from people from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Raj Thackeray’s renewed attacks on non-Marathis also harmed Uddhav Thackeray, but the BMC election results have shown that (1) the BJP couldn’t form a government on its own and will have to partner with the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) or resort to further political maneuvering. In the 227-seat BMC, the BJP secured only 89 seats, far short of a majority. (2) If Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and the Congress had formed an alliance, the results might have been different. Uddhav Thackeray’s party won 65 seats and came in second. His influence in central Mumbai remains strong. However, the Congress only managed 24 seats, yet they are still insisting on an alliance “on their own terms,” similar to what they are doing with the DMK in Tamil Nadu. They don’t seem to understand that the ground is shifting beneath their feet. The BJP’s strike rate in the BMC elections was 66%, Uddhav Thackeray’s party’s was 39%, while the Congress’s was only 16%. What delusion are these gentlemen living under? Sharad Pawar has also suffered a major setback. The future of the Maha Vikas Aghadi is in jeopardy. The time for old-school power brokers like Pawar is over. People are being drawn to new ideas, new policies, and new faces. The BJP’s leadership is on the fast track, while the opposition is stuck in the rut of outdated politics.
It is also interesting that Shiv Sena Shinde, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, has summoned its 29 victorious corporators to the five-star Taj Lands End hotel in Bandra. It is being said that they will be given training, but the underlying fear is that some of them might defect. This paints a very ugly picture of our politics, where elected representatives repeatedly have to be confined to hotels or resorts. There is constant anxiety that someone might poach them. Political loyalty has become very fluid these days. The BJP is not worried because they have both power and money. It is also becoming apparent that the BJP is slowly eliminating its allies. This was first seen in Bihar and is now being witnessed in Maharashtra. While one Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, has been sidelined, the other Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, has to confine his victorious corporators to a hotel. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is having a field day. Discussions have already begun about him being a potential BJP prime ministerial candidate in 2029. He belongs to the next generation. He is the ruler of a resource-rich state like Maharashtra. Now he has also gained control of Mumbai. But this also contains a potential threat for him. Many people will be ready to trip him up.
Mumbai’s politics is only one aspect of the issue. The real question is, when will the condition of our most vibrant city improve? The central government seems to be paying more attention to Ahmedabad. Before the current elections, elections to the major municipal corporations of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, were held in February 2017. The country’s richest city has been functioning without elected representatives for so many years. Meanwhile, Mumbai has continued to decline. Someone rightly said that Mumbai has a budget of 74,000 crore rupees, but there are also 74,000 potholes on its roads! Its population is 1.25 crore. It is the most expensive urban area in the country! One part of the city shines brightly, home to wealthy industrialists, businessmen and women, Bollywood film stars, cricketers, and other rich individuals whose pictures we constantly see on social media. There is an open and ostentatious display of wealth. The country’s most expensive house, Mukesh Ambani’s 27-story ‘Antilia,’ is in Mumbai, but Asia’s largest slum, Dharavi, is also located in Mumbai.
Dharavi is spread over an area of just 2.3 square kilometers. Ten lakh people live in this small area, where there is neither proper provision for drinking water nor sufficient toilets. Most people are forced to live in cramped quarters with no light or ventilation, but they have no choice. Those who come to Mumbai from outside in search of employment have to struggle even to find a place to stand. But business thrives in Dharavi, and it is estimated that its enterprising small-scale industries produce goods worth $1 billion annually. It is also called ‘Mini India,’ a place that is progressing despite all kinds of problems, but such slums are a stain on the country. It is a great misfortune that in the most prosperous city of the world’s fourth-largest economy, millions of people are forced to live like animals. Every monsoon, the city floods. The train service, which is the lifeline, comes to a standstill. Now there are complaints of Delhi-style pollution.
Mumbai’s contribution to the country is greater than that of any other city. It has given the country the most revenue. No other city has endured as many terrorist attacks as Mumbai, but no other city has kept its doors open for the downtrodden in the way Mumbai has. We wanted to make it a city comparable to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai. In terms of wealth, the city is on par, but the civic amenities are those of a third-world country. Will these election results change anything? After all, there will now be a triple-engine government, but the chances are very slim. The problem is so enormous that a solution seems impossible. People are flocking to this ‘city of dreams’ for employment, but where is the space? That is why they have to live in hellish conditions like those in Dharavi. The issues that were raised during the election campaign completely ignored those that are related to people’s daily lives. The focus was more on offering freebies, which only provide temporary relief. Zohran Mamdani became the mayor of New York by promising affordable housing. No one made such a promise about Mumbai, because everyone knows it can’t be fulfilled. The mayor here doesn’t even have full powers. Johnny Walker continued to sing in Mohammed Rafi’s voice, “This is Bombay, my love.” Over time, its name was changed to Mumbai, but the city’s contradictions only intensified instead of diminishing. Life here is still difficult for many. The controversial author Gregory David Roberts wrote about Mumbai, “More dreams are realized and more dreams are shattered in Mumbai than in any other city in India.” A single election cannot resolve this paradox of Mumbai.
