The All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen recorded a strong performance in the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections, winning 114 seats and sharply increasing its tally from the 2017 civic polls. The results mark one of the party’s best performances in the state and underline its growing political footprint beyond traditional strongholds.
AIMIM leaders said the results reflected years of groundwork and the impact of sustained local engagement. The party had won 81 seats in the 2017 municipal elections, but this time it expanded its presence by contesting more seats after announcing in December 2025 that it would fight the Maharashtra civic polls on a larger scale. The decision followed its success in the Bihar Assembly elections, and the gamble appears to have paid off.
AIMIM leader Shareque Naqshbandi said the door to door campaign led by party president Asaduddin Owaisi and the memory of narrow defeats in previous elections motivated party workers. He said the cadre worked with renewed energy on local issues, which helped convert support into votes.
City wise results show that AIMIM won 33 seats in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 21 in Malegaon, 15 in Amravati, 13 in Nanded, 10 in Dhule, eight in Solapur, six in Mumbai, five in Thane, two in Jalgaon and one in Chandrapur. With this performance, the party has secured more seats than the Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena combined.
Political observers say the results are a setback for the Congress, which has traditionally relied on minority support in several urban pockets. AIMIM’s rise has also posed a challenge to the Samajwadi Party in Mumbai and other parts of the state. The party is now hoping to build on this momentum ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for 2029.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, long considered an AIMIM stronghold, the party emerged as a major force by defeating both factions of the Shiv Sena in several wards. It also made noticeable inroads into the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Thane Municipal Corporation by winning seats in minority dominated areas where Congress and NCP candidates had earlier held sway.
AIMIM leader Khairunisa Akbar Husain, who won from ward number 145 in Mumbai, said the mandate belonged to the people. She said the party would focus on the issues it had raised during the campaign and work at the local level to address civic problems.
In Vidarbha, the party surprised many by opening its account in Nagpur, a BJP stronghold, winning six seats and emerging as the third largest party in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. Former AIMIM Vidarbha president Shahid Rangoonwala said the results showed the success of organisational strengthening and the decision to give tickets to grassroots workers and first time candidates. He said winning seats against BJP and Shiv Sena candidates in Nagpur was a significant achievement.
Though AIMIM recently drew attention for briefly joining hands with the BJP in the Akot Municipal Council, the alliance ended quickly after strong criticism from opposition parties. Party leaders said the latest civic poll results show that voters supported its focus on development, justice and representation.
