BJP wins MP civic polls, Cong improves tally
BHOPAL: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fared better than Congress in elections to the 43 civic bodies in Madhya Pradesh, results for which were declared on Wednesday. However, its overall tally declined while that of the Congress improved as compared to previous elections.
In Mandsaur, where five farmers died in police firing in June, Congress won all three by-polls while the BJP drew a blank.
Overall, the BJP won 25 seats for president while the Congress registered win on 15. The rest of the three seats went to independent candidates. The previous tally of the two parties was 26 and 8, respectively. The rest of the seats were won by independent and other parties including BSP.
Even as the BJP leaders and workers celebrated the party’s victory the state Congress president Arun Yadav said, “I am satisfied with the results as we fought against the government, administration and dishonest people.”
Congratulating the party workers, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “The victory is a result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s and the state government’s welfare schemes and hard work the party workers put in the election.”
BJP state president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan said the election results showed that the chief minister continued to wield his magic across the state. The Congress leaders were limited to their bastions.
Though the BJP’s tally decreased by one seat, the BJP leadership was relieved as the victory came in the backdrop of resentment among farmers over the killing of five farmers in police firing in Mandsaur and protest against the government in four districts of Dhar, Alirajpur, Jhabua and Khargone against rehabilitation policy of the government for families affected by Sardar Sarovar Project.
The state Congress chief spokesperson KK Mishra said the Congress made huge gains in the election.
“Not only did our tally increase by almost 100%, we also won seats in chief minister’s bastion Vidisha and state BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan’s home turf Burhapnpur,” he said, adding defeat of the BJP in Mandsaur suggested farmers were against the party.