India, Jan. 16 -- The counting of votes for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) 2026 elections began at 10 am on Friday, and early trends suggest a close contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Meanwhile, in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), the BJP is leading in 38 seats, while the NCP has taken an early lead in 11 seats as of 12 pm.

Election officials say the final results are expected by the evening. Observers are keeping a close eye on these elections, as they reflect the combined strength of the NCP and NCP(SP) in the region.

Voter engagement this year has been notable, with the overall turnout for PMC at 52.42%.

The lowest participation was recorded in Aundh-Bo...