India, Dec. 23 -- The results of the first phase of the Maharashtra local bodies polls are in step with the trend the state witnessed in the assembly polls held in November last year. Mahayuti, the alliance that included the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, won a landslide 235 seats in the 288-seat legislative assembly. The Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), that included the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar), was reduced to a mere 50 seats. Despite infighting among allies and the resignation of two ministers, the Mahayuti has consolidated the gains of the assembly poll wins and expanded its footprint across Maharashtra. In contrast, the Congress has further shrunk, while the Sena (UBT) and NCP(SP) stare at irrelevance. With city corporations, including in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and Nagpur, set to hold polls in January, the signs are ominous for the Opposition. The big win for the Mahayuti in the local body polls is not surprising. Voters tend to favour the ruling party/alliance in bypolls and local body elections: The Mahayuti won 207 of 288 municipal president posts, whereas the MVA was restricted to just 44. There are multiple takeaways from these results. One, the BJP is now the principal pole of Maharashtra politics: It won 117 municipal president posts and over 3,300 councillor seats, accounting for nearly 48% of the total councillors elected. Two, the decline of Congress is continuing and is visible across the state. Three, the cadres of NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) have shifted to the groups led by Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde: Ajit Pawar's outfit has won conclusively in Pune district, which includes Baramati, the base of Sharad Pawar. And Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena is pushing the Shiv Sena (UBT) into irrelevance. These electoral patterns were visible in the assembly polls results, but the local body election outcomes confirm that they may be irreversible. That's likely to facilitate realignments in state politics. The results offer a sobering thought for the MVA. Its obsession with the EC and electoral rolls seems to reflect on its lackadaisical preparation and the failure to regroup politically after the rout last year. Multiple factors influence elections, but voters reward parties that do the hard yards of outreach and agitation. The impending Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, which are fought on distinct urban concerns, development agendas, and identity issues, offer the MVA an opportunity to regroup and fight even as the Mahayuti eyes the big prize. For the Shiv Sena (UBT) especially, it will be an existential fight....