Maha Vikas Aghadi partners Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are implementing alliance experiment in the Zilla Parishad elections to checkmate BJP. The alliance on Thursday won the election for the posts of president and vice president in Kolhapur and Nashik Zilla Parishad defeating the BJP candidates.
State BJP president Chandrakant Patil received a major setback because of BJP's defeat in Kolhapur following its rout in the assembly election. Patil, who hails from the Kolhapur district, was elected from Kothrud constituency in Pune district.
Congress leader Bajrang Patil, who had filed his nomination as the MVA nominee, defeated BJP candidate Arun Ingawale in today's election for the ZP president. On the other hand, NCP nominee Satish Patil bagged vice president's post. Patil got 41 votes and Ingawale 24 votes. This was despite BJP had tied up with a group led by former Congress leader Prakash Awade, Chandgad Yuvak Kranti Aghadi, Jansurajya Party and Tararani Aghadi.
NCP minister Hasan Mushrif, Congress minister Satej Patil and the party legislator Rituraj Patil and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Mandlik worked out the poll strategy to defeat BJP.
Further, in Nashik Zilla Parishad, the Shiv Sena nominee Balasaheb Kshirsagar got elected unopposed as the president and NCP candidate Sayaji Gaikwad as the vice president. In the 72 member Nashik Zilla Parishad, Shiv Sena has 25 members, NCP and BJP 15 each, Congress 8, CPM 3 and Independents 6.
MVA partners will jointly contest elections for the Nagpur, Akola, Washim, Nandurbar, Dhule, and Palghar Zilla Parishad. Parties have already launched the poll campaign.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar had recently said that the local units of NCP, Sena, and Congress have already arrived at an understanding to fight civic and local body elections in the state. Pawar's view was shared by the state Congress president and senior minister Balasaheb Thorat who said three parties want to keep BJP at bay.
