NAVI MUMBAI: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), led locally by the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) and its allies, retained its advantage in Uran taluka in the Raigad Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, limiting the Bharatiya Janata Party’s gains in a closely watched rural contest on the edge of the Mumbai metropolitan region.
In the four Uran Zilla Parishad constituencies, the MVA won three, Navghar, Chirner and Jasai, while the BJP secured Chanaje.
Ward-wise results for the Panchayat Samiti showed the MVA winning six of the eight seats. PWP candidates prevailed in Aware, Chirner, Jasai and Kegaon, while Shiv Sena candidates won in Bhendkhal and Navghar. The BJP won two seats, in Chanje and Vindhane.
The outcome underlined the continuing influence of regional parties and entrenched local networks in a taluka shaped by agrarian politics, fishing communities and labour unions, even as Uran undergoes rapid economic change driven by port activity and the Navi Mumbai International Airport project.
The contest had been closely watched ahead of polling, with the BJP foregrounding infrastructure growth and Uran’s emergence as part of the proposed “Third Mumbai”. Opposition parties countered by focusing on rehabilitation of project-affected families, land acquisition concerns and the impact of industrialisation on traditional livelihoods, issues that dominated campaigning in several villages and coastal settlements.
The rural verdict comes weeks after Uran’s Municipal Council elections delivered a split mandate, reflecting the taluka’s competitive political landscape. While the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the council, the MVA secured the influential post of municipal president, with Bhavna Ghanekar defeating the BJP nominee in a direct contest.
Ghanekar said the latest results showed voters continued to back leaders who remained accessible and responsive to local civic and rehabilitation issues, adding that the verdict reflected trust in ground-level work and local leadership.