The ruling Mahayuti swept the Zilla Parishad (ZP) and Panchayat Samiti polls in Maharashtra, with the BJP leading the seat tally, continuing the winning streak that began with an impressive performance in the 2024 assembly elections.

The Mahayuti won 552 of 731 ZP seats and more than 1,000 of the 1,462 panchayat samiti seats, the State Election Commission said.

In the Mahayuti, the BJP led with 225 ZP seats, followed by 165 for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and 162 for the Shiv Sena.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Maharashtra for supporting the BJP-led Mahayuti in the Zilla Parishad elections, terming it a vote for "good governance."

"Once again, Maharashtra blesses BJP and Mahayuti! After the resounding success of the BJP and Mahayuti in the Municipal Corporation and Municipal Council elections, the people of Maharashtra have given a strong mandate to us in the Zilla Parishad elections," Modi said in a post on X.

In the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress emerged on top with 55 ZP seats, followed by 43 for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and 26 for Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP).

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena won a seat each in Latur and Ratnagiri. Independents won 20 seats, unrecognised parties registered with the SEC got 14, and parties registered with the SEC won seven.

The February 7 elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis had a voter turnout of 68.28 per cent.

Polling was held in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur districts.

In the first election after the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his party, the NCP, retained the Pune Zilla Parishad by securing 51 of 73 seats. The NCP and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) had contested on the 'clock' symbol.

Shiv Sena, led by deputy CM Eknath Shinde, won Raigad ZP with 23 of 59 seats and 41 of 56 seats in Ratnagiri ZP.

The BJP won 27 of 50 seats in Sindhudurg district and emerged as the single largest party in Satara, Solapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, Satara, and Latur. The Congress was the single largest party in Kolhapur.

In the 1,462 seats in 125 panchayat samitis, the BJP won 459, followed by 306 for the NCP and 302 for the Shiv Sena. The Congress won 97, NCP (SP) 46, and Shiv Sena (UBT) 89.

The MNS won two seats, Independents 31, unrecognised parties registered with the SEC 36, and parties recognised outside the state but registered with the SEC got 17 seats. Results of 24 seats in Karad were awaited.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP had emerged as the number one party in urban, semi-urban, and rural Maharashtra.

"They (falsely) believe that their political aspirations are aspirations of the people, and that is why they lose. The Opposition has lost the will to fight. When they attack PM Modi, they lose because people don't like such criticism," he added.

State BJP president Ravindra Chavan said the Mahayuti's performance reflected PM Modi's policies and vision, which made the lives of residents in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas easier.

"People have expressed their gratitude through votes for the work done by Fadnavis, Shinde and late Ajit Pawar," Chavan said, emphasising that the ruling alliance contested the elections on development issues and received a positive response.

Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare said the poll results were a tribute paid by the people to the work and tireless efforts of late Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a plane crash on January 28 in Baramati.

"Ajit Pawar spent his entire life working for the development of the common people and strengthening grassroots governance. The verdict reflects the people's deep faith in his ideas and leadership," Tatkare said.

Deputy chief minister Shinde said the people's trust in the party has increased, and its base in the rural areas has grown stronger.

He said the Shiv Sena performed a hat-trick of victories in the ZP and panchayat samiti polls after its success in municipal council, nagar panchayat, and municipal corporation polls.

He added that the party's victories in Ratnagiri, Raigad, and Sindhudurg proved the people of Konkan support the Shiv Sena. "The dream of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray to take the party to every village is being realised," Shinde said.

In Dharashiv district, Shiv Sena (UBT) contestant Amar Samudre defeated BJP rival Nihal Qazi by just one vote to secure a seat in the Dhoki Panchayat Samiti. Samudre secured 3,187 votes while Qazi got 3,186, including three votes from postal ballots.

Another narrow-margin victory was reported from Latur, where Congress candidate Asha Bhise won the Zilla Parishad seat by two votes, defeating her sister-in-law and BJP candidate Sarita Bhise 6,871 votes to 6,869.

Another highlight was the defeat of four out of five relatives of former Maharashtra minister Suresh Warpudkar in the Zilla Parishad polls in Parbhani. Warpudkar, who was a Congress MLA for three terms, joined the BJP in 2025.

NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Jayant Patil said the Sharad Pawar-led fold emerged as the single largest party in the Sangli Zilla Parishad, clinching 18 seats.