Mumbai: The political balance at the grassroots level in Maharashtra witnessed a sharp shift on Monday as counting for the 2026 Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections began, revealing a strong surge for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance. Early and mid-round trends showed the BJP crossing the crucial 100-seat mark, while the Congress managed to secure only 24 seats, with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) trailing significantly.
Counting started at 10 am for elections held across 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis, covering key districts including Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Latur, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Parbhani, Dharashiv and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The polls recorded a turnout of 68.28 per cent, indicating steady voter participation despite earlier disruptions to the election schedule.
As per the latest trends, the Mahayuti alliance has taken a commanding lead in over 260 seats across Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party. Congress has remained confined to just two dozen seats, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has managed around 16 seats so far. The overall performance has put the opposition alliance on the defensive in rural Maharashtra.
Parbhani reported the highest voter turnout, crossing 74 per cent, followed closely by Kolhapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Ratnagiri, however, recorded comparatively lower participation. More than 7,400 candidates were in the fray for over 2,100 local body seats, with election arrangements involving over one lakh personnel across nearly 25,500 polling stations.
The results are also being closely watched for their impact on the future dynamics of the two NCP factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, who adopted seat-sharing understandings in select districts. Political observers believe the outcome will influence upcoming municipal and assembly-level strategies.
Barring a minor altercation reported from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar during polling, the election process and counting have largely remained peaceful.
