MUMBAI: Amid the BJP’s towering performance in the Maharashtra civic elections, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) found a silver lining, registering notable gains, particularly in Muslim-dominated wards across the state. As per the latest trends, AIMIM is leading in 74 wards, outshining the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has been squeezed to just 27 seats.The party received strong support in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dhule, Amravati, Jalna, Malegaon, and Parbhani, reflecting its growing footprint in select urban pockets.In Mumbai, the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party achieved a historic milestone by securing its first-ever victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). AIMIM candidate Mehzabin Khan won from Ward No. 134, giving the party its maiden seat in the country’s richest municipal corporation.
- In Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation, AIMIM secured 16 seats out of 116, emerging as one of the significant contenders.
- In Dhule, the party won eight seats in the 74-member civic body.
- In Amravati Municipal Corporation, AIMIM bagged three seats in the 87-ward corporation.
- In Jalna, the party won two seats in the 65-member municipal body.
- In Malegaon Municipal Corporation, AIMIM emerged victorious in four wards out of 84.
- In Parbhani, the party secured one seat in the 65-ward civic body.
In the BMC elections, AIMIM has so far won two seats, with official trends also showing the party leading in two wards as counting continues for the 227-member corporation.Earlier, AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan expressed confidence ahead of the results, dismissing exit polls as unreliable. Speaking to ANI, Pathan said exit polls often fail to reflect the final outcome and asserted that the party would register strong gains once counting concludes.“We are confident that the people have blessed us with their votes. By tomorrow evening, the results will be clear, and AIMIM will achieve great success,” he said.Maharashtra went to the polls for 29 municipal corporations, including the prestigious Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with stakes high for the Thackeray brothers as also BJP-Shiv Sena after the ruling Mahayuti alliance’s stupendous victory in the assembly polls last year.
