The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh continued the winning streak of the party's earlier victories in Maharashtra and Chandigarh municipal polls by bagging 16 wards against Congress party's 12 in the crucial Bhilai-Charoda Municipal polls held here on Friday.
The victory in the Bhilai-Charoda municipal poll which was held for the first time since the formation of the civic body is of huge significance to the BJP which had put all its might in campaigning to prove people are still in favour of the saffron party after the demonetisation drive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP's Mayoral candidate Chandrakanta Mandle received 20905 votes, while Congress party's candidate Jyoti Banjare received 16814 votes.
Of the total 40 seats, BJP won in 16 wards, while the Congress bagged 14. The Independent candidates won in 10 wards. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh termed BJP's victory as 'public endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation drive'.
As many as 174 candidates were in the fray for 40 seats of the Bhilai-Charoda Nagar Palika.
The BJP also bagged the Mayoral post in Sarangarh municipality where candidate Amit Agarwal won by 1096 votes. The BJP bagged 8 seats, Congress (4) and Independent candidates (3).
