BJP sweeps 3 urban bodies polls in MP

THE BJP on Saturday swept elections to three urban bodies in Madhya Pradesh. It won the posts of presidents as well as a majority of councillors, prompting some disgruntled Congress leaders to seek a change in their party leadership.

The ruling party registered its most comprehensive victory in Harda Nagar Nigam, where it won 30 of the 35 posts of councillors, restricting the Congress to four wards. The remaining seat reportedly went to a BJP rebel.

In Mandav Nagar Panchayat elections in Dhar district, the BJP won 12 out of 15 posts of councillors. The Congress won three posts of councillors.

Eleven out of 15 posts of councillors in Amarkantak Nagar Parishad were won by the BJP, with the Congress winning three wards and an Independent emerging victorious in the remaining ward.

Congratulating the victors, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the win would boost the pace of development in the state. BJP president Nandkumar Chouhan said the Congress misinformation campaign against demonetisation received a jolt.

While PCC chief Arun Yadav blamed the losses on misuse of official machinery, some party leaders pointed to faulty ticket distribution while others sought change of leadership on the ground that the latest setback was one among many.

Former PCC secretaries Sayeed Ahmed Suroor and Akbar Baigsaiditwashightimethatveterans like former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and Mukesh Nayak take over as PCC president and leader of Opposition, respectively, if the party wanted to boost the morale of its cadres.

“The party lacks discipline and has no organisation, and it’s missing at the district, block and booth levels. If the leadership is not changed, the party will again taste defeat in the 2018 Assembly elections,’’ a Congress leader said.

Criticising the distribution of tickets, especially in Harda, senior leader Manak Agrawal told The Indian Express that those responsible for it should be punished.