Local election results: MVA parties strong together
BJP does not lose ground, wins 384 seats in nagar panchayat polls; NCP, part of ruling coalition, wins 344
MUMBAI: The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were neckand-neck in the rural and semiurban local bodies that went to polls in two phases starting December, results declared on Wednesday revealed.
Wednesday’s results, declared on a majority of the nagar panchayat seats that polled in 31 districts, indicated that the BJP has not lost much ground support among its local base but that the MVA partners would have to stick together if they wanted to win.
Polls in 1,802 seats in 106 nagar panchayats across 31 districts, and 105 seats in district councils as well as 210 seats in 17 panchayat samitis in two districts, namely Bhandara and Gondia were conducted in two phases. On December 21, only general category and SC, St-reserved seats polled, and on January 18, only Other Backward Class (Obc)-reserved seats that were re-notified as open category seats (412 in all), polled.
The results of 1,638 nagar panchayat seats were declared on Wednesday. The results of nine nagar panchayats in Gadchiroli will be declared on Thursday, along with the remaining district councils and panchayat samitis results.
The BJP, which is in opposition in the state, won 384 seats in nagar panchayat polls while the NCP, which is part of the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, won 344 seats. The NCP improved its tally in terms of the number of seats while its coalition allies, Congress (316 and Shiv Sena (284 seats) were reduced to third and fourth position, respectively.
The three ruling parties however, bagged more than 57.63% seats collectively by winning 944 of the 1,638 seats in which the results were declared. The BJP, by comparison, won 23.44% seats in the nagar panchayats.
The counting of votes in 97 nagar panchayats (civic bodies that govern semi-urban areas) began in 31 districts on Wednesday morning. Though the elections to the post of chairman for these bodies will be held next week, present numbers indicate that NCP could control 25, BJP 24, Congress 22 and the Shiv Sena, 15.
In some of the urban local bodies that went to polls, the ruling parties will need to join hands to gain power. At least 10 bodies have local alliances, and in some areas, such as Patan in Satara, Mandanga in Ratnagiri, Vikramgad in Palghar, Shirdi in Ahmednagar, local unregistered parties have won more seats than the big four.
Former home minister RR Patil’s son Rohit Patil emerged victorious as the NCP won 10 out of 17 nagar panchayat seats in Kavathe-mahankal which was fought under his leadership.
Congress won all three panchayats in Nanded under the leadership of former chief minister Ashok Chavan, as well as the Tivasa panchayat under the leadership of minister Yashomati Thakur.
The BJP scored in Vidarbha — a Congress stronghold traditionally —winning six panchayats in Chandrapur, Bhandara, Nagpur districts. The party bagged four out of five panchayats in Beed in central Maharashtra, which could be considered as a setback for social justice minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde. Most of the seats that the NCP won were from western Maharashtra, as well as Nashik in north Maharashtra and Raigad, Ratnagiri in the Konkan region.
“Despite gross misuse of the money and muscle power by the ruling parties in the local body elections, the BJP has emerged as the leader by winning highest number of seats. We will elect our chairmen in at least 30 bodies with the help of our allies. BJP has retained its top position in the state,” said former chief minister and leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis.
NCP’S state unit chief Jayant Patil said that the party emerged as the leader in the nagar panchayat elections. “It is the result of our continuous efforts of serving the people and taking up the issues related to them,” he said.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that the party improved its tally compared to the previous elections. “We have won 22 panchayats from the existing number of 17. We are leading in Vidarbha and have made inroads in Konkan. The number of seats won by the BJP is lesser than what they won in the same bodies the last time.”
OBC ire not on display
The results also serve as a breather for the MVA as it indicated that the OBC communities have not yet displayed their displeasure over the loss of political reservation in local bodies.
“It is true that the OBC community is upset with state government for the inordinate delay in collating empirical data. It would have gone in favour of the opposition, but the real picture will be visible in the polls to be held in next few months,” Chandrakant Bavkar of OBC Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti, said.
In March 2021, the SC ordered Maharashtra to conduct a rigorous empirical survey to ascertain the exact nature of the socio-economic backwardness of OBC communities before deciding on the quantum of reservation. It said that the legal provisions in place failed the triple test of reservation —it exceeded the 50% ceiling on reservation when taken together with other constitutionally-mandated reservations to persons from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The SC ruled that the political quota to the OBCS in local bodies cannot be given until the data was produced.
As a result, in October 2021, by-polls in 84 seats of district councils and 141 panchayat samitis from six districts were held after the SC scrapped the elections of the candidates elected from the OBC quota in these local bodies. This was the first time polls were held without OBC quota, after the reservation came into force in 1994.
In September 2021, the state government promulgated Ordinances to allow up to 27% reservation in urban and rural local bodies. However, in December, the SC which was continuing to hear the reservation petitions struck down these Ordinances as well. Furthermore, it directed the state election commission (SEC) to re-notify Obc-reserved seats as general category seats and proceed with the elections that were set to take place on two days — December 21 and January 18.