Mumbai: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has emerged as one of the important gainers within the Maharashtra municipal elections, recording its strongest-ever efficiency throughout city native our bodies. 

From holding onto its conventional strongholds in Marathwada to creating inroads within the Mumbai Metropolitan Area, the occasion’s newest exhibiting marks a notable enlargement of its footprint within the state’s civic politics.

The occasion additionally secured 21 seats in Malegaon, persevering with its dominance within the Muslim-majority energy loom city. Past these established bases, the AIMIM posted notable features in a number of different municipal companies, with 14 seats in Nanded Waghala, 12 in Amravati, and 10 in Dhule.

The occasion’s development was not restricted to Marathwada and north Maharashtra. 

The AIMIM received eight seats in Solapur, six seats in Nagpur, three in Akola, and two seats every in Ahilyanagar and Jalna, underlining a broad-based presence throughout Vidarbha and western Maharashtra.

 The AIMIM made a notable breakthrough within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Company (BMC), profitable eight seats in India’s richest civic physique. The occasion additionally secured 5 seats in Thane, establishing its sturdy presence throughout the Mumbai Metropolitan Area.

AIMIM Nationwide Spokesperson Waris Pathan posted a video on X, thanking the individuals of Maharashtra. “The entire of Maharashtra has proven how excessive the graph of the Majlis Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen goes. That is the results of the laborious work of our occasion president, Asaduddin Owaisi sahib,” he stated.

“This reveals that folks’s love for the Majlis is rising daily. The individuals of Maharashtra have accepted Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi as their chief.”

Shukria Maharashtra!! pic.twitter.com/n4np99lhSh

— Waris Pathan (@warispathan) January 16, 2026

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Sharp rise from earlier polls

With a complete of 125 seats throughout municipal our bodies, the newest efficiency represents a considerable enchancment for the AIMIM over earlier municipal elections in Maharashtra. 

Within the final civic polls held in 2017, the AIMIM had received 81 seats throughout 29 civic our bodies, with solely two seats in Mumbai. Whereas that tally itself was thought of a breakthrough, the present outcomes present the occasion consolidating and, in a number of cities, increasing past its earlier base.

“I remorse not having the ability to go to Western Maharashtra and do the election marketing campaign. We had been in Bihar when the dates had been introduced. Had we targeted on Western Maharashtra too, perhaps our corporators would have received there too,” AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi informed a press convention in Hyderabad on Saturday.

On political allegations that his occasion has been attempting to chop into the Congress occasion’s conventional strongholds, Owaisi stated, “A king can’t be born from a queen’s womb. That is democracy. Anybody can come and contest towards me.”

In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, which has a complete of 29 wards with 115 seats, the AIMIM has steadily improved, turning itself right into a constant challenger to the BJP and the Congress.  

“On this metropolis, the way in which that Congress and Rashtrawadi (NCP) campaigned, everybody is aware of that these individuals can sometime ally with the BJP. Solely the AIMIM occasion won’t ever be in alliance with the BJP. That’s why the individuals belief us. And because of this, we now have received seven seats in Nagpur, 21 in Malegaon, and 9 in Mumbai,” AIMIM Maharashtra president Imtiyaz Jaleel informed reporters on the occasion’s victory rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after securing second place.

Whereas the BJP secured 57 seats, the AIMIM emerged because the second largest occasion but once more with 33 seats, an increase from the 23 received in 2017, and forsaking the Congress (1 seat), Shiv Sena (Shinde, 13 seats), Shiv Sena (UBT, 6 seats) and the NCP (SP, 1 seat). 

“We are going to tackle the function of the opposition occasion within the metropolis with sincerity,” Jaleel stated. “The BJP needed to finish each Shiv Senas. Their conspiracy was the way to finish Eknath Shinde. Immediately, in all main cities, the BJP has received.  They’ve used Ajit Pawar, they’ve used Eknath Shinde. They’ve a use-and-throw technique, and so they have used and thrown. Now we’re right here.”

One other victory for the occasion got here within the Muslim stronghold of Malegaon, which has a complete of 84 seats. The AIMIM was in a position to safe 21 seats, an enormous enchancment on the seven seats it received in 2017.

The occasion has right here grabbed the second place right here too, behind the Indian Secular Largest Meeting of Maharashtra (ISLAM) occasion with 35 seats.

In 2017, the Congress had emerged as the one largest occasion right here with 28 seats, whereas this yr, it has been lowered to simply three seats. The BJP, with simply two seats, too fared worse than the final time, when it secured 9 seats.

Past conventional strongholds

What stands out in these elections is the AIMIM’s skill to maneuver past a handful of acquainted centres. Beneficial properties in Amravati, Nagpur, Akola and Solapur point out that the occasion is discovering resonance in elements of Vidarbha and western Maharashtra the place it traditionally had a restricted presence.

In Thane, the AIMIM was in a position to enhance its seat depend to 5 from two in 2017, reaching a gentle development on the civic map of one of many fastest-growing city areas adjoining Mumbai. Equally, victories in Dhule and Nanded Waghala level to the occasion’s rising organisational depth in north Maharashtra and Marathwada.

These features have come at a time when conventional events sch because the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Get together have struggled to carry their city bases, whereas factionalism inside bigger alliances has fragmented votes in a number of wards.

Congress chief Sachin Sawant informed ThePrint, “The factor is, any vote going to a communal occasion, a celebration with a communal agenda, must be a worrisome issue for any democratic occasion.”

On the votes from the occasion’s conventional base being cut up, he stated, “The sample and the need to vote some occasion in or vote some occasion out, the explanations and situations are completely different. So you can not generalise it.”

On the conversations across the AIMIM purportedly chopping into the Congress bases, a Congress chief informed ThePrint on the situation of anonymity that such “dialog contributes to the bigger agenda and narrative of the BJP. The MIM is an Indian Get together solely. Minorities vote for events which can be againstthe  BJP as a result of they’re petrified of the BJP”. 

“The MIM’s function has helped the BJP narrative. Even they use polarisation techniques, with the identical political construction because the BJP.”

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)

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