#Maharashtra Civic elections: Judgment Day today

The election results Thursday are all set to be a verdict on whether the development plank pushed by the ruling BJP can withstand the aggression of the anti-demonetisation drive undertaken by rivals Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra. Counting of votes will begin at 10 am. While Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is trying to assert his party’s might in high-stakes Mumbai and its cash-rich municipality, the elections turned into a do-or-die battle for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who carried the entire burden of BJP campaigning on his shoulders. For the NCP fighting for survival after the 2014 polls, the election will test the leadership of Sharad Pawar in Western Maharashtra where the party has till now enjoyed the leading status in zilla parishad and panchayat samitis, followed by the Congress.