Jalgaon: The counting of votes for the chairman and corporator elections was held today, and out of 18 chairman positions in the district, the grand alliance secured 16 seats, along with two alliance-backed candidates, thus proving its undisputed dominance in Jalgaon district.
However, this victory was marred by a major setback for the BJP, as the wife of the current Textile Minister Sanjay Savkare, Rajni Savkare, was defeated by Gayatri Chetan Bhangale of the Nationalist Congress Party. BJP leader Girish Mahajan stated in a press conference that the alliance also won 80 per cent of the corporator seats.
In Jalgaon district, the counting of votes for the 18 chairman and corporator positions was completed today, and the results were declared by evening. While the Maha Vikas Aghadi had high expectations of success, they were met with complete disappointment.
Out of the eighteen seats, the BJP secured eight, the Shinde faction six, and two were won by BJP-backed candidates, bringing the alliance's total to sixteen seats. The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar group) and the Shiv Sena (Thackeray group) each secured one seat.
The chairman's seat in Jamner was won uncontested by the BJP, where Minister Girish Mahajan's wife, Sadhana Mahajan, was elected unopposed. In Pachora, the seat was won by Sunita Patil, wife of Shinde faction MLA Kishor Patil. She defeated Sucheta Dilip Wagh, the BJP candidate and wife of former MLA Dilip Wagh, by 11,351 votes.
In Bhusawal, Rajni Savkare, wife of BJP's Textile Minister Sanjay Savkare, was defeated by Gayatri Chetan Bhangale of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar group) by 1,846 votes. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had held a public meeting in Bhusawal for Rajni Savkare; this was the only such meeting in the district.
This resulted in a major shock for the BJP. Speaking on the occasion, Girish Mahajan stated that 80 per cent of the elected corporators in the district's 18 municipalities belong to the Mahayuti alliance.