Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Kerala To West Bengal, Key Polls To Watch and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
This year’s election cycle kicks off with the civic body polls in Maharashtra on Jan. 15, which include the long-delayed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections as well.
The polls for the BMC and 28 other municipal corporations in Maharashtra are going to be a direct face-off between the Mahayuti, led by the BJP, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the coalition led by Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
In Mumbai, cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have reunited after a nearly two-decade feud. They are looking forward to reclaiming Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray’s legacy from the faction headed by Eknath Shinde, who broke ranks in 2022 and joined the BJP along with a group of Sena MLAs to bring down the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
Also, Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit have buried the hatchet after the split in July 2023. They look forward to retaining their bastion of the twin cities of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.
On the other hand, the BJP showed a strong performance in the December 2025 panchayat polls in the state. The ruling party is looking to further consolidate its voter base in the state for the civic body polls.