Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 14 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday expressed confidence that the ruling Mahayuti alliance will register a decisive victory in the ongoing local body elections across the state, asserting that voters have firmly aligned with the BJP-led coalition due to its development-focused campaign.
Speaking on the civic polls covering 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Fadnavis told ANI that in "26 or 27 municipal corporations, the mayor will be from the BJP, Shiv Sena, or the Nationalist Congress Party - our alliance partners."
"The people of Maharashtra have made up their minds. They are going to stand with our Mahayuti alliance," the Chief Minister said, adding that he had personally visited villages and major cities where elections are underway. "That's my assessment."
Highlighting the alliance's candidate selection, Fadnavis said the Mahayuti has ensured broad social and professional representation. "Our candidates are from all walks of life, from the poorest of the poor to educated people. We have given tickets to a large number of graduates, post-graduates, lawyers, doctors and PhDs. So, it's a diverse representation," he said.
Fadnavis stressed that the campaign remained firmly centred on development, despite attempts by the opposition to shift the narrative. "We didn't just hold rallies; we also did talk shows and roadshows. In every city, we consistently talked about development. Our opponents tried very hard to divert the election from the development agenda, especially in Mumbai, but we didn't get sidetracked," he said, adding that "80-90 per cent of our campaign was focused solely on development."
He further said the civic polls would reflect public trust in both the state government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "These elections will underscore the fact that the people have faith in the Maharashtra government, and the people of Maharashtra are with Prime Minister Modi. BJP across the country is one family. Whenever there is a victory anywhere, all the members of the family feel enthusiastic," he said.
Addressing questions on reports of discord within the Mahayuti during local polls, Fadnavis dismissed any rift, saying the alliance had agreed in advance on "friendly fights" in select cities where one party was dominant. "There is no confusion, and there is no infighting. We had decided earlier that we would not speak against each other or criticise each other," he said.
Referring to NCP leader Ajit Pawar's criticism of the BJP in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Fadnavis said the ruling party chose restraint. "He said many things against us, but we responded with development. We didn't retaliate. Development will win," he asserted.
On Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's criticism of BJP leader K Annamalai over the use of the word "Bombay," Fadnavis played down the controversy. "Sometimes words get mixed up due to limited language proficiency. He might have mistakenly said 'Bombay,' but that doesn't mean he was insulting Mumbai. It's just an attempt to mislead people," he said.
Maharashtra is heading into crucial civic polls across 29 municipal corporations. Voting for the BMC elections will be held on January 15 from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm across 227 wards, with counting scheduled for January 16.