Mumbai, Jan 16 (NationPress) While the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has achieved considerable success across various municipal corporations in Maharashtra on Friday, Parbhani from the economically challenged Marathwada region has surfaced as a significant outlier.

In a notable setback for the ruling coalition, Uddhav Thackeray’s "Sainiks" have effectively disrupted the BJP's progress, marking an unprecedented victory for the Shiv Sena (UBT).

Despite a statewide trend favoring the BJP and Mahayuti alliance, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has achieved a remarkable win in the Parbhani Municipal Corporation (PMC). This victory signifies the first instance that Uddhav Thackeray’s faction will directly manage the Parbhani civic body, concluding nearly 20 years of dominance by the NCP and Congress.

In a fiercely contested election, the Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged as the predominant party, significantly surpassing the ruling Mahayuti partners.

Shiv Sena UBT clinched 25 seats, while Congress secured 12, BJP also got 12, NCP (Ajit Pawar) had 11, Jan Surajya Party got 3, Yashwant Sena 1, and an independent candidate won 1. Shiv Sena UBT and Congress, along with support from other parties, are anticipated to claim the Mayor's position.

The last time the Shiv Sena held the Mayoral position in Parbhani was in 2007 (when it was a Municipal Council). Since the elevation to a Municipal Corporation in 2011, power had remained with the NCP and subsequently the Congress. This victory marks a return for the Shiv Sena UBT to Parbhani after a 19-year hiatus.

The triumph is attributed to the cohesive leadership of Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav and MLA Dr. Rahul Patil. While the BJP brought in prominent figures including CM Devendra Fadnavis, State President Ravindra Chavan, and Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, holding over 200 rallies and meetings, the Thackeray faction relied predominantly on the local influence of Jadhav and Patil.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 48 seats and maintained a strategic "friendly fight" or alliance with the Congress in other areas, a strategy that successfully prevented the fragmentation of the anti-Mahayuti vote.

The Mahayuti partners—BJP, Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—failed to convert their state-level momentum into local success in this case. Despite an aggressive campaign led by Guardian Minister Meghna Bordikar and Industrial Minister Uday Samant, the alliance could not exceed the 25-seat threshold collectively.

In response to the results, BJP leader Meghna Bordikar remarked, “Although Devendra Fadnavis’s charisma has resonated across the rest of the state, we have underperformed in Parbhani. We will conduct a thorough introspection to analyze the reasons behind this defeat.”

Experts suggest that the strong personal connection of MP Sanjay Jadhav, combined with a prevailing sentiment of "regional pride" over state-led campaigns, empowered the Thackeray faction to retain its ground.

For Uddhav Thackeray, this victory represents a crucial psychological boost, demonstrating that his faction can still overcome the united strength of the BJP-Shinde-Ajit Pawar alliance in specific regional strongholds.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)