Counting still underway, trends favouring BJP-Shiv Sena will reverse: Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: Amid trends showing the BJP-Shiv Sena's aggressive march in the Mumbai civic polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said the real picture will emerge only at midnight when the current indications will change after all votes are counted.

Counting of votes for Mumbai and 28 other civic bodies in Maharashtra, which went to polls a day before, is ongoing.

Raut said the BJP may have performed well in the rest of Maharashtra. However, as counting will continue until midnight, the current trends showing defeat of the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance will reverse.

As per the trends shown by television channels for 210 out of the 227 seats in Mumbai, the BJP is leading in 90 seats, and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in 28 electoral wards. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which contested separately, is leading in three wards.

In the opposition camp, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and its ally, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, are leading in 57 and nine wards, respectively. The Congress, which contested in alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, is ahead in 15 wards, and others in eight.

Taking a dig at Shiv Sena, Raut said the Eknath Shinde-led party has not been able to do anything outside Thane.

"The way it is being shown that Shiv Sena (UBT) is trailing behind... Current figures (showing the BJP-Shiv Sena victory in BMC polls) will reverse as it's a neck-and-neck fight, and counting of votes is ongoing," the Rajya Sabha member told reporters.

He said the real picture will become clear only at midnight.

Separately, Raut states on X that counting of votes in ward numbers 60 to 75 is yet to start.

The BJP contested 137 seats, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena 90, while the NCP, headed by Ajit Pawar, fielded candidates separately on 94 seats.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) had fielded 163 candidates, the MNS 52, the Congress 143, and the VBA (Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi) 46.