Maharashtra Civic Polls: AIMIM a Surprise Winner, Does Better Than NCPSP & MNS

AIMIM has done well in Malegaon, Sambhajinagar, Dhule and Nanded Municipal Corporations.

AIMIM has made its mark in the Municipal Corporation elections in Maharashtra. 

(Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has emerged as a surprise winner in the elections to Municipal Corporations Across Maharashtra. The AIMIM has won over 120 wards across the state, making it the sixth most successful party in the state. Surprisingly, this put the AIMIM ahead of prominent Maharashtra parties like the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

City-Wise Performance

The AIMIM's gains were mostly in the cities in Khandesh and Marathwada regions.

The AIMIM came second in the Malegaon Municipal Corporation winning 21 seats. However, it fell behind a local Muslim party ISLAM.

The AIMIM stood second in Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Nanded Waghala and Dhule and made its presence felt in Amravati and Jalna as well.

Shift in Muslim Votes?

The AIMIM's performance in the Municipal Corporation elections marks an improvement from the 2024 Assembly elections, in which it won in Malegaon Central and came a close second in Aurangabad East.

The results indicate a shift in Muslim votes in certain pockets. It does appear that at least in local body elections, the community seems to be open to going with the AIMIM instead of consolidating behind the Maha Vikas Aghadi. The break-up of the MVA may have contributed to this as the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCPSP contested separately in many places.

However, the party may have underperformed in places where the Congress did comparatively well, such as Bhiwandi Nizampur.

The AIMIM's positive performance comes on the back of its five-seat win in the Bihar Assembly elections in November 2025.