The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena took an early lead in Maharashtra local body elections on Monday, February 9, 2026. Counting began at 10 a.m. for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis. By 2 p.m., TV channels reported the BJP leading in 200 of 731 Zilla Parishad seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena led in 137 seats. The NCP stood ahead in 120 seats, Congress in 46, the Shiv Sena (UBT) in 33, NCP (SP) in 13, and others in 29 seats. Elections held on Saturday covered 731 Zilla Parishad seats and 1,462 Panchayat Samiti seats in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur districts. A total of 2,624 candidates contested Zilla Parishad seats, and 4,814 fought for Panchayat Samiti seats. The results will impact the Nationalist Congress Party factions led by late Ajit Pawar and founder Sharad Pawar. The rivals joined hands informally to contest these polls together in some areas under the original 'clock' symbol. The State Election Commission has yet to confirm results officially.