The Shiv Sena emerged as the single-largest party in the high-voltage civil polls in Maharashtra’s Kalyan-Dombivli yesterday after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party and the BJP decided to contest separately and the campaign was marked by bitterness between the ruling allies, reports The Hindustan Times from Mumbai.
The outcome of the civic polls may change the power dynamic in the coalition Maharashtra government.
Trends available for 118 of the 122 seats showed the Sena leading in more than 50 seats, the BJP ahead in over 40 wards, and a rout for other parties such as the Congress and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, all likely to be reduced to single-digit tallies.
The Sena is likely to fall short of the majority mark of 62 by around 10 seats but may seek the support of smaller parties such as the MNS instead of joining hands with the BJP.
In western Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, an alliance between the BJP and a local outfit led the Congress by a small margin – 32 to 27 – in the 81-member civic body. The Nationalist Congress Party led in 15 seats and may help the Congress in crossing the halfway mark of 41.