After years of delay, Maharashtra held civic elections for 29 municipal corporations on January 15. The results showed the BJP emerging as the leading party, with Devendra Fadnavis hailed as Bazigar No. 1.

What was at stake in these elections in India’s second most prosperous state? Who are the winners and losers, and what do the results mean for different political parties? This edition of “Akhil Vaani" answers these questions and more.

Let’s begin with the losers.

The election was as much about the losers as the winners. The three biggest losers were:

• Chacha-Bhatija Booted Out: The Chacha-Bhatija combine lost its stronghold in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporations, despite the two NCP factions joining forces and running a high-decibel campaign.

• Bhai-Bhai Vanquished: Uddhav and Raj Thackeray united to defend Mumbai but were defeated by the rising saffron tide.

• Decimated: The Congress, born in Bombay in 1885, was wiped out from Mumbai and Maharashtra.

With most results declared, the BJP emerged as the leading party. Out of 2,833 announced seats, the party positions are as follows:

• BJP – 1,400

• Shiv Sena – 397

• Congress – 306

• NCP – 151

• Shiv Sena-UBT – 166

• AIMIM – 94

• NCP-SS – 29

• Others – 224

Intriguingly, NCP-SS was decimated, while AIMIM........

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