The ruling BJP on Friday consolidated its position in Maharashtra by capturing power in two more municipal corporations out of the three civic bodies that went to polls early this week and in the process virtually annexed late Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh’s traditional bastion of latur, in a major
setback to the Sonia Gandhi-led party.
Riding on the goodwill the Devendra Fadnavis Govern-
ment had established among the people by reaching water to their parched town through trains last year, the BJP gained control over the 70-member latur Municipal Corporation (lMC) by taking its tally from zero in 2012 to 36 seats in the 2017 polls
In a major boost to State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, the BJP romped home in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation (CMC), bagging 36 out of the total 66 seats. In what came a consolation for a party that had been ruling the State for years on end, the Congress appeared poised to capture power in the Parbhani Municipal Corporat-
ion, by emerging as the single largest party with 31 seats in the 65-member civic body.
With two civic bodies under its control, the BJP is in power in as many 10 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, while it rules 10 out of 25 Zilla Parishads in the State.
The highlight of Friday’s outcome is the BJP wresting power from the Congress in the lMC. latur has been a traditional bastion of the Congress in general and the family of late Deshmukh.
The Congress’ stock has eroded in latur ever since Deshmukh passed away on August 14, 2012. Friday’s electoral debacle came as a major embarrassment for late Deshmukh’s son Amit Deshmukh, who failed to hold onto his father’s home turf.
In the lMC polls, the BJP won 36 seats in the 70-member civic body as against 33 seats won by the Congress.