Maharashtra Civic Polls: Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, ISLAM Party Surge As Muslim-Majority Wards Set The Tone

In a significant shift in Maharashtra's civic political landscape, regional and minority-focused parties made decisive gains in the latest municipal corporation elections.

The results marked the decline of long-standing Congress dominance in Malegaon and highlighted the expanding footprint of AIMIM across several urban centres, even as the BJP performed strongly statewide.

ISLAM Party Breaks Congress Hold in Malegaon

In its maiden contest for the Malegaon Municipal Corporation, the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra (ISLAM) party, floated by former NCP MLA Asif Shaikh, delivered a major upset by winning 35 seats. The result effectively ended Congress dominance in the Muslim-majority powerloom town. However, ISLAM fell short of the majority mark of 43 in the 84-seat civic body.

ISLAM had contested the elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, which secured five seats. AIMIM emerged as the second-largest party in Malegaon with 21 seats, a sharp rise from seven seats in the previous polls. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 18 seats, improving its tally by six compared to the last term.

The Congress suffered a steep decline, winning only three seats. Two of these were secured by the party's city unit president Ejaj Beg and his wife. The Bharatiya Janata Party managed to win just two seats in the town.

AIMIM Expands Presence Across Maharashtra Cities

Amid the BJP's strong overall showing in Maharashtra's civic polls, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen also recorded notable gains, particularly in Muslim-majority wards across the state. According to AIMIM leader Shareque Naqshbandi, the party won a total of 114 seats statewide.

AIMIM registered strong performances in cities such as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Malegaon, Amravati, Nanded, Dhule, Solapur, Mumbai, Thane, Jalgaon and Chandrapur. The party won 33 seats in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while its tallies stood at 21 seats in Malegaon and 15 in Amravati.

In Nanded, 13 AIMIM candidates emerged victorious. Dhule recorded 10 wins for the party, Solapur eight, and Mumbai six. AIMIM also won five seats in Thane, two in Jalgaon and one in Chandrapur.

Maiden BMC Win Marks Milestone for AIMIM

A significant highlight for AIMIM came in Mumbai, where the party secured its first-ever seat in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. AIMIM candidate Mehzabin Khan won from Ward No. 134, marking a milestone in the country's richest civic body.

The BMC election carried high political stakes, given its massive budget and influence, often compared to that of several Indian states.

Party Leadership Expresses Confidence in Mandate

Ahead of the final results, AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan dismissed exit polls as unreliable and expressed confidence in the party's prospects. Speaking to ANI, Pathan said exit polls frequently fail to capture the actual verdict of voters.

"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 voted for 29 municipal corporations, including the prestigious BMC, with the outcome closely watched amid heightened political stakes for the Thackeray brothers and the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance following the Mahayuti's sweeping victory in last year's assembly elections.