Maharashtra Civic Polls: Congress Shows Strength Beyond Mumbai Setback

• Congress secured the third-highest number of wards (277) across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, trailing only BJP (1264) and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena (320).
• Despite overall gains, Congress performed poorly in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, barely crossing double digits, and failed to open its account in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
• The BJP-Shinde alliance dominated the BMC polls, a significant blow to the Thackeray family, who had historically controlled the corporation.
• Congress won a clear majority in the Latur Municipal Corporation (LMC) with 43 out of 70 seats, leaving BJP with 22 seats.
• Rahul Gandhi criticized the Election Commission over allegations of erasable ink use during the polls, calling it an "anti-national act" and accusing the EC of "gaslighting citizens."

Why It Matters: Congress demonstrated significant statewide presence in Maharashtra civic polls despite poor performance in Mumbai.