MUMBAI, Jan. 17 -- The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) led by Hitendra Thakur has managed to retain their stronghold -- the Vasai-Virar region -- in the 2026 municipal elections, even after their defeat in the assembly elections. Undefeated for the past 25 years, BVA secured 71 out of the 115 seats in the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC), with the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance winning 44 seats. In the 2015 municipal elections, Thakur's BVA created a record by winning 108 out of 115 seats. At the time, the Shiv Sena got five seats, the BJP only one, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also one seat. Despite BJP's confidence of doing well this time, with leaders like Poonam Mahajan, MP Dr Hemant Sawra and MLA Sneha Dudey putting their weight behind the party candidates, BVA swept the elections and will now elect the mayor. "Our karyakartas are the ones who have helped us win," Hitendra Thakur said. "If problems like malfunctioning EVMs and voter confusion would not have been there, we would have won 100 seats. The others tried to woo voters with false promises, but the people knew who to support." The BVA fielded candidates in 113 seats, while the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, aiming to break the BVA's stronghold, fielded candidates in 110 seats. In the previous election, the BJP had only one corporator. This year, the BJP has made a strong comeback, winning 44 seats. Fifteen former corporators and workers from the BVA had joined the BJP before the elections. They contested on BJP tickets this time, but only six of them were victorious. The Shinde faction contested 27 seats but managed to win only one. Although the BVA retained power, they suffered a setback of 37 seats this year. Many prominent corporators, including former mayor Rupesh Jadhav, were defeated. The BJP, however, reached the 70-seat mark in Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) elections. Winning 70 out of 95 seats, the party secured an undisputed majority in the corporation. On the other hand, the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, which had entered the fray to challenge the BJP's dominance, suffered a crushing defeat. Shiv Sena managed to win only three seats, and the Congress won 13 seats. Although Shiv Sena and BJP are in an alliance at the state level, the alliance partners fought a bitter political battle in Mira Bhayandar. The campaign resulted in a bitter dispute between BJP MLA Narendra Mehta and Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik, marked by accusations and counter-accusations. Last election, the undivided Shiv Sena had won 22 seats. This time, the party fielded 81 candidates, but only three of them won....