The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has performed brilliantly in the Maharashtra civic elections and has captured many municipal corporations including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Whereas the dominance of Thackeray family and Pawar family has ended in their own stronghold. However, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has won a big victory in the civic elections. The party has won 114 wards in a total of 10 municipal corporations including BMC.
This is the best performance of Owaisi's AIMIM so far in Maharashtra. Before this, in the last Municipal Corporation elections, it had won 56 wards. If seen in this way, AIMIM has got double the success than last time. On the basis of its stellar performance, AIMIM left behind established parties like Samajwadi Party (SP), Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
For the civic elections held in the state, the party fielded its candidates only on selected seats. For the elections held in 29 municipal corporations on January 15, candidates were fielded in only 24 corporations. This performance was not so easy for the party because there was some pressure due to internal differences and resignation of some senior leaders regarding ticket distribution decisions taken by the party's Maharashtra unit president and former MP Syed Imtiaz Jaleel, but the party campaigned vigorously.
Party chief Owaisi and his brother and party's Telangana Assembly floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi held several rallies and public meetings in many important urban centers of the state. The party performed brilliantly in the state's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation, which is considered the stronghold of AIMIM.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation, AIMIM won 33 out of 115 wards. Here Owaisi's party emerged as the second largest force after BJP. In many wards, even both the pitchers of Shiv Sena lagged behind AIMIM in terms of votes, and the party came as the main opposition.
Apart from Sambhajinagar, AIMIM has also won in many other municipal corporations. AIMIM has won 21 wards in Malegaon, 15 in Amravati, 13 in Nanded, 10 in Dhule, 8 in Solapur, 5 in Thane, 2 in Jalgaon and one ward in Chandrapur.
Apart from this, AIMIM surprised everyone by performing brilliantly in the state's most prestigious BMC Municipal Corporation. The party won 8 wards in BMC. Whereas in the 2017 elections, Owaisi's party had won only 2 seats. In this way, it has secured 4 times more seats as compared to its previous performance.
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With this performance, AIMIM has strengthened its vote share in Marathwada and some areas of Western Maharashtra, not only this, the party has also made inroads in places like Mumbai and Thane. Owaisi's party defeated the candidates of Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar) in minority-dominated areas. It can be assumed that AIMIM is gradually strengthening its position in the state and it can prove to be a threat to many established parties here.
