Mumbai, Jan 16: The BJP-led alliance appeared headed for a decisive victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on Friday, as early trends showed the Thackeray-led parties losing ground in Mumbai, with counting still underway for elections to 29 civic bodies across Maharashtra.

According to provisional results, the BJP-led alliance was leading in 115 wards in the BMC. The Bharatiya Janata Party was ahead in 86 wards, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena was leading in 29.

The Thackeray cousins trailed with leads in 77 wards, signalling a weakened grip over the cash-rich civic body. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) was ahead in 71 wards, while Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was leading in six.

The BMC, which has an annual budget exceeding Rs 74,400 crore, went to the polls after a nine-year gap following a four-year delay. A total of 1,700 candidates contested the 227-seat civic body.

In the 2017 elections, the then-undivided Shiv Sena, which included the Eknath Shinde faction, had retained control of the BMC, an institution it had dominated for decades.

Across Maharashtra, trends from the 29 municipal corporations also tilted in favour of the BJP-led alliance. Statewide figures showed the BJP leading in 909 wards, while its ally, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, was ahead in 237.

In the party-wise tally, the Congress stood third with leads in 179 wards, with significant gains reported from Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Nagpur and Kolhapur. The Shiv Sena (UBT) followed with 118 leads, while the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party was ahead in 112 wards.

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Counting was continuing at the time of reporting.