BJP strategy is to marginalise allies in states it's not in majority: Sibal

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday said the BJP's political strategy in states where it is not in power or in majority is to ally with other political parties, come to power and then marginalise them.

He said this strategy was successful in Bihar and was being played out in Maharashtra.

In an X post, Sibal said, "BJP's political strategy: In states where they are not in power or are not in majority --“ ally with other political parties, come to power, then marginalise them."

"This strategy: Successful in Bihar. Being played out in Maharashtra!" the Independent Rajya Sabha MP wrote.

The BJP won 1,425 out of 2,869 seats in the Maharashtra civic polls to emerge as the single largest party in more than a dozen municipal corporations, including Mumbai and Pune, breaching the bastions of the Thackerays and Pawars.

The saffron party won 89 seats in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), ending the Thackeray family's three-decade-old dominance in the cash-rich civic body.

BJP ally Shiv Sena bagged 29 seats, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) managed 65, and MNS got six seats. The Congress, which fought in alliance with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), bagged 24 seats, AIMIM 8, NCP 3, Samajwadi Party 2, and NCP (SP) got just one seat in the BMC.

The BJP has emerged as the single largest party in Navi Mumbai with 65 seats, Kalyan-Dombivli (50), Mira-Bhayandar (78), Nashik (72), Panvel (55), Pune (119), Pimpri-Chinchwad (84), Solapur (87), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (57), Nanded (45) and Nagpur (102).

The saffron party stunned the Pawars in the Pune polls, clinching 119 seats, with Ajit Pawar-led NCP coming in distant second with 27 and its ally NCP (SP) getting three seats, while the Congress managed 15 seats.

In the 151-member Nagpur civic body, the BJP held sway bagging 102 seats, while the Congress bagged a mere 34.

Nashik saw the BJP bagging 72 seats, Shiv Sena 26, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, Congress 3 and NCP 4.

The BJP's victory streak continued in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where it won 57 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (15), Congress (1), while other parties registered with the SEC, especially the AIMIM, bagged 33 seats.

The Congress, which ran a muted campaign in the run-up to the polls, managed significant victories in Bhiwandi, where it won 30 seats, Chandrapur 27, and Latur 43.

According to the final tally, the BJP won 1,425 out of a total 2,869 seats across 29 municipal corporations, Shiv Sena 399, Congress 324, NCP 167, Shiv Sena (UBT) 155, NCP (SP) 36, MNS 13, BSP 6, parties registered with the SEC 129, unrecognised parties 196, and 19 independents.

The elections were held in the following municipal corporations: Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Ulhasnagar, Thane, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Mira-Bhayandar, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Latur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Jalna and Ichalkaranji.