BJP loses posts of Mayor and Dy Mayor in Sangli civic body

In the 78-member civic body, BJP has 41 members and has secured a majority with the support of two independents

On a day when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the urban civic body polls in Gujarat, it received a major setback in Maharashtra. The party lost the mayoral and deputy mayoral elections to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress in the Sangli-Kupwad Municipal Corporation despite having a majority. NCP nominee Digvijay Sur yawanshi defeated BJP’s mayoral candidate Dhiraj Sur yawanshi. Congress nominee Umesh Patil was elected deputy mayor. The NCP candidate polled 39 votes, while the BJP’s mayoral nominee received 36. Two corporators remained abstained and cross voting helped NCP and Congress to win the two posts.

Simmering discontent against the state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, who had worked as the Sangli district guardian minister from 2014 to 2019, rising factionalism and lack of coordination led to BJP’s humiliating defeat. Today’s defeat is also seen as a personal embarrassment for Patil who has been under attack for dividing the party organisations while neglecting the grassroots.

BJP Member of the Parliament (MP) Sanjaykaka Patil and Sangli district unit chief Prithviraj Deshmukh remained silent during these elections, as a result of the increasing factionalism.

In the 78-member civic body, BJP has 41 members and has secured a majority with the support of two independents. Congress and NCP are in the opposition with 20 and 15 seats, respectively. Following the death of the former mayor, who was from the Congress party, the strength had reduced to 77 members.