Nagar Panchayat polls: MVA outdoes BJP
BJP emerges as single largest party, with 384 seats
NCP is 2nd with 344, Congress 3rd with 316 while Shiv Sena is at No. 4 with 284 seats; together they bagged 944 seats
People favoured ruling alliance: MVA
Misuse of power by MVA: BJP
Mumbai: The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi has outdone the BJP in the elections held for 1,802 seats in 106 nagar panchayats. Of the 106 nagar panchayats, the results for 97, with 1,638 seats were declared on Wednesday while those for nine others with 153 seats will be announced on Thursday.
Even though the BJP bagged the number one slot by winning 384 seats, the NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress together have won 944 seats. The NCP bagged 344 seats, the Congress got 316 and the Shiv Sena, 284. Incidentally, the 206 Independents who have won are expected to play a crucial role in winning the elections to the posts of the president and deputy president.
The winners included Public Works Minister Ashok Chavan in Nanded district, former home minister R R Patil’s son Rohit Patil in Kawate Mahankal in Sangli district, NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar in Karjat-Jamkhed in Ahmednagar district, NCP legislator Sunil Shelke in Pune district, Shiv Sena legislator Vaibhav Naik in Sindhudurg district, former BJP leader Pankaja Munde in Beed district.
On the other hand, senior BJP Minister Narayan Rane and his son Nitesh Rane received a jolt in Sindhudurg district, as did Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde in Beed district, Union Minister Raosaheb Danve in Marathwada, NCP legislator Shashikant Shinde in Koregaon Nagar Panchayat in Satara district, Union Minister of State Bharati Pawar in Dindori in Nashik district, Union Minister Kapil Patil in Thane district.
State NCP chief Jayant Patil has slammed BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who had last week claimed that the NCP was limited to three-and-a-half districts. Patil said that Wednesday’s results had clearly shown that the party had consolidated its strength across the state. He said that the MVA partners had outsmarted the BJP, which would continue to face a similar fate in the coming elections.
NCP chief spokesman Nawab Malik claimed that 80 per cent of the voters had rejected BJP in these elections.
On the other hand, Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) said, “Despite gross misuse of money-muscle power and government machinery by the MVA, the people of Maharashtra have firmly stood with the BJP in the nagar panchayat elections. The BJP is once again the number one party in Maharashtra.” He taunted his party’s erstwhile ally Shiv Sena for its number four slot in today’s poll results.
State BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said the three partners should fight independently against his party.
State Congress chief Nana Patole, who had stirred controversy after his statement that he would kill Modi, failed to make his party number one in these elections. Patole, who had declared that Congress would go it solo in local body elections, will need the help of the NCP and Shiv Sena to assume power in several nagar panchayats. State chief spokesperson Atul Londhe said, “The party performed better than expected. The BJP will be out of power in more than 70 per cent nagar panchayats. It is losing in every election as soon it will witness further decline.”
Further, Shiv Sena Minister Anil Parab claimed the results of the elections showed that people favoured the ruling MVA. ‘’Numbers are important in democracy and the ruling MVA alliance of the Sena, NCP and Congress won the highest number of seats collectively. The Shiv Sena also did well in the coastal Konkan region, its traditional bastion,” he said.
An average voter turnout of 81 per cent was recorded in the polling that took place on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court had, in December 2021, denotified the 27 per cent reservation for other backward classes in local body elections and these seats were then converted into general category seats.
On December 21, 2021, voting was held in 11 of the 106 nagar panchayats where the OBC quota was not applicable. On Wednesday, counting was done for both, the nagar panchayat polls held in December last year and on Tuesday.
