BJP wins Jalgaon, Sangli polls despite Maratha stir

MUMBAI: Even as the ongoing agitations by the Maratha community targets the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led government, the party registered impressive wins in two civic body elections that took place on August 1 — Jalgaon in North Maharashtra and in the Maratha heartland of Sangli-miraj-kupwad in the western part of the state.

The BJP won 41 of 78 seats in Sangli-miraj-kupwad — a traditional Congress-ncp stronghold. In Jalgaon, it wrested power from local strongman, Suresh Jain, who aligned with Shiv Sena, winning 57 of 75 seats. Congress-ncp alliance won 35 seats in Sangli, while Sena in Jalgaon won only 13 seats.

The BJP’S win is significant, as in both places, it managed to top-

ple well-established bastions despite being on the backfoot in recent weeks after the Marathas and Dhangars (shepherds) began agitations demanding quotas. The Congress has controlled Sangli for more than a decade, while Jain has controlled Jalgaon for three decades.

The victory is also well-timed for chief minister Devendra Fad-

navis, who had been targeted over the Maratha protests.

“While there were protests by the Maratha community for their demands, which are genuine and just, the voters firmly believe only the BJP government is capable of giving the community reservations,” said Fadnavis.

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