NAVI MUMBAI, Jan. 17 -- The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections delivered a clear and decisive mandate on Friday, with BJP leader Ganesh Naik's camp winning 65 of the 111 seats to secure an outright majority and take firm control of the civic body. The result marks a major setback for the Shiv Sena, which secured 42 seats. Far from being a routine municipal election, the Navi Mumbai outcome was widely seen as a test of political authority, with Naik pitted against deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde's faction, which was looking to expand its footprint in the region. The verdict left little ambiguity: the BJP emerged the clear winner, while Shinde's side failed to make the breakthrough it had sought. "This is a mandate for decisive leadership and development-oriented governance," former MP Sanjeev Naik and son of Ganesh Naik, said after the results were declared. "The people of Navi Mumbai have rejected instability, corruption and money power, and rewarded consistent work on the ground." Naik ran an openly combative campaign, directly challenging Shinde's authority and framing the election as a fight for control of Navi Mumbai. At one rally, he warned that if given a free hand, he would dismantle his rival's political push, a remark that set the tone for an intensely polarised campaign. As counting progressed on Friday, victory banners and celebratory posters put up by BJP workers and Naik loyalists appeared across Navi Mumbai, reinforcing the sense that the win was being projected not just as an electoral triumph but also as a political statement of dominance. The contest narrowed into a largely binary fight, pushing smaller parties to the margins. The Shiv Sena (UBT) managed only two seats, while the MNS and an Independent candidate won one seat each, underlining the consolidation of votes around the BJP and the Shiv Sena, decisively in the BJP's favour. The scale of the Shiv Sena's setback was highlighted by the defeat of several entrenched leaders whose victories had been seen as a formality. The BJP's losses were comparatively limited and localised. In Digha, the Navin Gavte and Anant Sutar families lost to panels backed by Shiv Sena leader Vijay Chougule, while in Turbhe, the Medhkar family was defeated by Suresh Kulkarni's Sena panel. Chougule, Kulkarni and Navi Mumbai Shiv Sena chief Kishor Patkar in Vashi managed to retain their traditional bastions, preventing a complete Sena collapse. Striking a conciliatory note after the victory, Naik said his focus would now shift to governance. "Elections come and go. I want to neutralise the environment that was created, and I have asked my supporters not to put up anything that insults anyone. The battle is over," he said. Naik added that he would continue to oppose policies he believes hurt the city, including elements of the new UDCPR, and would pursue long-pending issues such as the regularisation of PAP homes....