India, Dec. 22 -- As expected, the ruling Mahayuti dominated the first phase of Maharashtra's local polls. Of the 288 civic bodies governing smaller cities, the BJP won over 120, way ahead of all other parties. But what surprised everyone was the performance of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, which won about 60 municipal bodies and emerged in second position after the BJP. The significance of Shinde's success can be gauged when contrasted with the other parties' results. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP won 37 bodies while the entire opposition alliance MVA could win only about 50. Mahayuti insiders feel this will definitely prop up Shinde's confidence for the second phase of 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC. The insiders are pointing out that the BJP was initially unwilling to ally with the Shinde Sena in most of the civic bodies that will go to the polls on January 15. In fact the two parties were publicly engaged in a poaching war, with Shinde even protesting about this. However, days after the voting on December 2, Fadnavis held a meeting with him, where it was decided to stop the public bickering and forge alliances wherever possible in the second phase. Did Big Brother figure out during the voting that the Shinde Sena was doing well in the first phase and a BJP-versus-Sena contest in the second phase would be tricky? Shinde's close aides believe so. The Sena has also won the highest number of seats in Konkan, a sobering reality for all the other parties. In contrast, the NCP won a limited number of seats, largely in the undivided NCP's influence area. Considering his success in the first phase, Shinde will bargain hard in the seat-sharing talks for Mumbai, Thane and other civic bodies where the BJP and Sena are planning to contest together, BJP leaders said as the results poured in. When NCP leader Dhanajay Munde landed in Delhi last Wednesday, it took his party's senior leaders, including state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare, by surprise. Tatkare, who is the party's lone Lok Sabha MP, was surprised when he discovered that Munde was in Delhi to meet Amit Shah. "I don't know why he is here when our party high command (Ajit Pawar) is in Mumbai," he remarked. Given that the visit coincided with the resignation of NCP minister Manikrao Kokate, it led to speculation that Munde was lobbying with Shah for his re-entry into the state cabinet after being ousted on account of his close aide Walmik Karad being arrested in connection with a murder. The speculation led to strong reactions from the opposition, with NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule even indicating that her party would launch an agitation if Munde was reinstated. Both the NCP and BJP then had to clarify that there was no plan to induct any new minister; Munde, meanwhile, posted on social media that he had met Shah regarding the development of a religious place in his district. As the drama over Manikrao Kokate's sentencing by a Nashik court and his resignation unfolded, a senior NCP (SP) leader pointed out that Sharad Pawar had opposed his inclusion in the party before the 2019 elections, claiming he was not trustworthy. However, he was admitted at the behest of some leaders, particularly Chhagan Bhujbal. Kokate lived up to Pawar's mistrust when he left him for the Ajit faction and later publicly criticised Bhujbal when the latter took on Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil. After the 2024 elections, when Ajit chose to drop Bhujbal from the cabinet, he picked Kokate to represent Nashik district. A year later, it is Bhujbal who is having the last laugh. He is now in the cabinet while Kokate is out-and may even get disqualified as an MLA. During his address at the World Hindu Economic Forum on Thursday, industrialist Sajjan Jindal accidentally promoted CM Devendra Fadnavis in the political hierarchy. "You all are eager to listen to the prime minister. I mean the chief minister," he said. Jindal then added amid applause from the audience, "It was a slip of the tongue but could become reality one day." A cautious Fadnavis, who avoids any discussion on a future prime ministership, merely responded with a smile....