BJP gets 51 civic chiefs in Maharashtra

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged a winner in the first phase of municipal council and nagar panchayat polls that governs small cities and semi-urban areas in Maharashtra.

The results were declared by the state election commission on Tuesday. The BJP won 893 of the total 3,727 seats in the 147 municipal councils and 17 nagar panchayats. The BJP has secured 51 council president posts, leaving others behind. The president of the council is directly elected by the people after the state government’s decision taken early this year.

The Congress, meanwhile, emerged second, winning 727 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) got 615 seats, pushing the Shiv Sena to the fourth position. The party has got 529 seats. The Sena did better in winning the presidents’ post. It won 25, while the Congress won 23.

Chief minister Devendra Fadanvis termed the results a big victory on grounds that in the elections held in 2011, the party did not get even a single seat in 80 councils. “This is for the first time the party has got so many seats,” he said.

“We have won 52 president posts on party symbol and other eight seats in alliance with other parties,” state BJP president Raosaheb Danve said.

The Congress said the party has secured top position in 17 nagar panchayat polls. “The party has won 72 seats, of the total 304 seats,” said Sachin Sawant, Congress spokesperson. He said the NCP has got 63 seats. “We have won 19 posts of council president on party symbol and eight others by forging alliance with local parties,” said Nawab Malik, NCP spokesperson.

The move to elect council president directly will bring trouble for the ruling BJP, as at many councils, the party is not in majority, resulting in political clashes and delay in development works. The government is now planning to provide more powers to the council president. “The state is considering bringing some enactments to empower the president,” Fadnavis said.