BMC election result LIVE: Mahayuti shines, Thackerays trail; counting error may delay results

BMC election ensue unrecorded: The counting of votes for the BMC results ar underway. The election for the Brihanmumbai Municipal corp (BMC) was held on th, which a total voter turnout of 52.94%.As per trends, the Mahayuti alliance, led by the BJP has maintained a strong lead, followed by Shiv Sena (UBT).Also Read | Thackerays’ Mumbai make-up, Pawars’ Pune pact fail in strongholds: Will this settle the legacy question?The result for 227 wards in the BMC are being declared by the State Election Commission following the polls on Thursday, which were held after a four-year delay. Along with the BMC, 28 other municipal corporations went to the polls across Maharashtra for the civic polls. The results for the same will be declared todayThe last BMC elections were held in 2017. Based on the schedule, the elections were set for 2022 but were delayed due to a series of factors. Among the key reasons for the delay in elections was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Other reasons behind the delay were the dispute over the delimitation of BMC seats, and a legal battle over reservation for Other Backwards Classes (OBC) in local body polls.Mumbaikars stepped out to vote for the BMC elections after nearly a gap of four years. As per the SEC, the overall voter turnout for the BMC polls stood at 52.90%, which over 54 lakh stepping out to vote. What did exit polls say?Ahead of the results, the exit poll projections have shown a lead for the BJP-led Mahayuti in the BMC polls. According to JVC exit polls, the BJP+ alliance is likely to get 138 seats, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance is likely to get 59 seats.A similar projection was made by Axis My India, which said that BJP alliance may win 131-151 seats, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena alliance would secure 58-68 seats.BMC election result todayThe counting of votes for the BMC will take place in batches. As per reports, SEC officials have said two constituencies will be counted at a time.In 2017, the counting of votes was conducted all at once. Unlike this, the results will be declared after the votes have been counted in a phased manner.What happened in the last BMC election result?In 2017, the BMC elections were held in a single phase. The Shiv Sena secured a win and was voted the largest party in the elections, winning 84 seats. The BJP saw an improved performance, securing 82 seats.Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress dropped to 31 seats, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena dropped to 7 seats.However, since 2017, the political landscape in Maharashtra has undergone significant changes, marked by splits within the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party.In 2022, the Shiv Sena split into two factions, one led by Uddhav Thackeray and the other by Eknath Shinde. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party split in 2023 into two factions - one led by Ajit Pawar and the other by Sharad Pawar.From these splits, the Shinde Sena and NCP (AP) joined the alliance led by the BJP, forming the Mahayuti alliance. Meanwhile, NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress came together to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.