BJP-led Mahayuti sweeps local body polls in Maharashtra; Money power and EVMs shaped win: Oppn

Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP on Sunday swept the elections to 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, winning 207 posts of presidents in the local bodies and restricting the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi to a collective tally of 44.

The final results of the 288 local bodies were shared by the State Election Commission (SEC) late at night.

According to the SEC, the BJP won 117 posts of municipal presidents, Shiv Sena won 53, and the NCP won 37 posts. The Congress bagged 28, the NCP (SP) seven, and Shiv Sena (UBT) nine.

The parties registered with the SEC bagged four seats, while 28 seats of municipal presidents went to unrecognised registered parties. Five seats were won by Independents, the poll body said.

The poll outcome offers a clear signal of the shifting political equations, ahead of the crucial elections to 29 municipal corporations, including the Mumbai civic body, scheduled for next month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Maharashtra for supporting the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition in the elections, asserting that it reflected their trust in people-centric development.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the results of the election mark the "victory of politics of good governance and development".

BJP national working president Nitin Nabin hailed the electoral success as historic, saying the outcome of the elections reflects their trust in the NDA government under PM Modi's leadership.

He congratulated Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) state unit chief, Ravindra Chavan.

In the multi-dimensional contests, Mahayuti allies- the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP- contested against each other in some places. There were alliances as well as "friendly fights" among Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents- the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress.

The elections to 286 municipal councils and nagar panchayats were held in two phases, while candidates in two other local bodies had been elected unopposed.

Fadnavis said the BJP has set a record in local body polls with 48 per cent of councillors winning on the party symbol, and its candidates elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils.

He attributed the Mahayuti alliance's electoral success to the BJP organisation and the development agenda of the government.

Fadnavis said the BJP has once again emerged as the single largest party.

"48 per cent councillors have been elected on the BJP symbol, which is a record. The BJP has created another record with 3,300 councillors being elected from the party.

"BJP candidates have been elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils. In 75 per cent of the local bodies, Mahayuti nominees have been elected as municipal presidents," he told reporters in Nagpur before the poll body declared the figures.

Fadnavis emphasised that the BJP's national leadership has put faith in the state leadership for elections.

"It is the team effort - the organisation and government. We fought the polls on the development plank. I led a positive campaign on the development agenda. I never criticised any political leader or party. I solicited votes on the development agenda, the work done by the government so far, and our blueprint for the future," the chief minister added.

The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) conceded defeat, accusing the election commission of "facilitating" the victory of the ruling Mahayuti.

State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal congratulated the party candidates who won the posts of municipal president and councillors.

In a terse comment, he "congratulated" the state poll body for "helping" the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the elections.

The Congress claimed it won 41 posts of municipal council presidents and 1,006 councillors in the local body elections in Maharashtra, results of which were declared on Sunday.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut attributed the victory of Mahayuti to "tampering" of EVMs. He said the opposition couldn't withstand a "hailstorm" of money.

His party colleague Ambadas Danve alleged "money and muscle power" shaped the Mahayuti win.

Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan claimed the party had got a decisive mandate as voters had rejected the Opposition's "fake narrative".

He claimed the Mahayuti had won more than 250 councils, nagar parishads and nagar panchayats out of 288, with BJP candidates securing 134 out of 236 council chief posts and over 3,000 councillor seats.

"The Opposition levelled all kinds of allegations during the campaign, but people saw through them. Uddhav Thackeray himself said he had nothing to offer to the people, and that is why his party was rejected. His party could not even win council chairperson posts in double digits," Chavan claimed.

Now, Mumbaikars too would reject the opposition's narrative in the upcoming BMC polls, he said.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the "overwhelming success" of the BJP was a "victory of the (party) workers.

Deputy CM Shinde said the Shiv Sena had won more seats than the combined total of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the local body polls.

Shinde said he had taken major decisions during his tenure as chief minister, including CIDCO housing, FSI enhancement, toll plaza removal, road and bridge projects, Navi Mumbai International Airport and the 'Third Mumbai' growth centre.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP claimed it won the elections to the post of municipal council presidents in 48 local bodies in Maharashtra out of 80 it had contested, retaining its hold in Pune district.

In Pune district, the NCP bagged 10 out of 17 posts of presidents to the municipal councils and nagar panchayats, district election officials said.

Ajit Pawar thanked the voters, saying the Mahayuti has swept the polls.

"I am thankful to the voters of the state for making the NCP and Mahayuti victorious in the polls. After this success, our responsibility has increased towards the people. We will continue to do the good work with the help of the state government and the Centre," he said.

In the Loha municipal council, the ‘family pack’ strategy of the BJP came undone as its candidate for the post of president, Gajanan Suryavanshi, and his five relatives lost.

The BJP also suffered a setback in Chandrapur district in eastern Maharashtra. PTI MR CLS AW ND COR SPK PR ARU NR BNM NSK