17 January,2026 08:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
Police conduct patrols in Dombivli with the counting of ballots underway, on Friday. Pic/Shrikant Khuperkar
Counting centres across Kalyan and Dombivli remained busy through Friday as ward-wise results of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections were declared. Supporters tracked every round closely, with reactions ranging from quiet relief to visible disappointment as outcomes became clear over the course of the day.
The elections were seen as a contest between the ruling Mahayuti alliance - comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) - and Opposition parties such as the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). While the alliance partners contested together in most wards, local factors and candidate profiles played a key role in shaping results in several areas, as reflected in multiple ward-wise result sheets released by KDMC through the day.
The most striking illustration of this trend emerged from Dombivli West's ward no. 22. As per KDMC's official ward-wise results, the MNS secured victories through Sandesh Patil (22A) and Dr Rasika Patil (22B), while the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) won two seats through Vikas Mhatre (22D) and Kavita Mhatre (22C).
Equally significant were the defeats. Prakash Bhoir, who had switched from the MNS to the BJP shortly before the elections, lost to Sandesh Patil (MNS) in a closely watched contest.
Ward no. 7 reflected a split verdict. The Shiv Sena opened its account with Vijaya Pote's victory in ward no. 7A, while the BJP won two seats through Shamal Gaikar (7B) and Hemlata Pawar (7C). The MNS also registered a win, with Ganesh Landge emerging victorious from ward no. 7D.
In ward no. 25, the BJP registered a complete sweep, with Nandu Shantaram Mhatre, Mrudula Umesh Nakhye and Chitnis Sameer Ramesh being elected, each winning by margins exceeding 3000 votes. The defeated candidates - Manisha Dhatrak, Shailesh Dhatrak and their daughter Pooja Dhatrak - were formerly associated with the BJP (except Pooja) but had shifted to the MNS after being denied party tickets.
The BJP also won all four seats in ward No. 29, with Kavita Mhatre, Arya Natekar, Alka Mhatre and Mandar Taware declared elected.
In ward No. 24, all four seats were won uncontested, with Ramesh Sukrya Mhatre (Shiv Sena), Jyoti Pavan Patil (BJP), Joshi Rushali Ranjeet (Shiv Sena) and Rane Vishwanath Vasant (Shiv Sena) declared elected without a contest. In Ward No. 29, the BJP completed a clean sweep. Meanwhile, the results in ward No. 30 showed a mixed outcome, with Ravina Amar Mali (BJP) winning one seat unopposed, while Vijeshree Darshan Mhatre, Sangeeta Anil Mhatre, and Arjun Babu Patil of the Shiv Sena won the remaining three seats.
7.17Lakh
No. of citizens who voted
The 2015 KDMC elections recorded a turnout of 46.49 per cent, with 4.36 lakh votes cast out of 9.39 lakh voters. In contrast, the current election recorded a turnout of 52.11 per cent, with over 7.17 lakh voters exercising their franchise, indicating higher civic participation.
The biggest victory margin was recorded by MNS candidate Sandesh Patil (Ward 22A), who won by 8946 votes, while the steepest defeat was suffered by BJP candidate Prakash Bhoir in the same ward. Another large margin was seen in Ward 23B, where BJP's Rasika Krishna Patil won by 8918 votes.
