In a clear reflection of the fact that demonetisation has not had much of an ill-effect on the people in rural and semi-urban areas of Maharashtra, the ruling BJP on Monday performed exceedingly well by winning the president’s posts in as many as 55 municipal councils and bagging as many 610 seats out of a total 2,501 seats for which results had been declared till late in the evening.
Though it lagged behind the Opposition Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena when the counting of votes polled in Sunday’s polls began in the morning, the BJP sped ahead of three other major parties as the counting of votes progressed in the evening.
According to results of 115 municipal councils available around 8 pm, the BJP had captured power in as many as 22 municipal councils, followed closely by the Congress with a tally of 21 municipal councils and the NCP with a civic body count of 19. The Shiv Sena, which stood fourth, had gained control over 15 municipal councils.
In the polls to the civic body presidents for which direct elections were held for the first time in the State, the BJP succeeded in installing its president in as many as 55 municipal councils, followed by Shiv Sena (in 23 councils), Congress (21), NCP (10) and Independents (21), according to results declared till late in the evening.
Of the results to 2,501 seats declared till 8 pm, the BJP had bagged as many as 610 seats, while the NCP won 482 seats, followed by 408 And 402 seats respectively by the Congress and the Shiv Sena. Others had won as many as 563 seats of the total declared seats.
As many as 15,826 candidates were in the fray for 3,705 seats spread over 147 municipal councils and 17 nagar panchayats, which went to polls on Sunday. Sunday’s was the first phase of the four-phased local bodies polls. The next three rounds of voting are set for December 14, 18, and January 8.
The BJP’s good performance has come as a big boost for Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had made demonetization an issue in the campaigning for the local body polls. From the results, it becomes apparent that through his appeal to the people to co-operate with the government in in implementing its demonetisation decision, Fadnavis managed to keep the voters in good humour, notwithstanding the inconvenience faced by them because of the scrapping of `1,000 and `500 notes.
However, the local body poll results came as a disappointments in the civic bodies hither-to controlled by BJP leaders like State Party president Rao Saheb Danve, Pankaja Munde and Baban lonikar. Pankaja suffered a humiliated defeat in a civic body controlled by her family at the hands of her estranged cousin and leader of the Opposition in the State legislative Council Dhananjay Munde.
Senior Congress leader Narayan Rane had something to cherish, as his supporters gained control of Sawantwadi and Devgad municipal councils in coastal Konkan region. In north Maharashtra, the NCP felt the absence of the incarcerated party leader Chhagan Bhujbal. For, the Shiv Sena had managed to capture power in four of the six municipal councils in Nashik district.
The NCP suffered a defeat in the polls to the Tasgaon Municipal Council in western Maharashtra, which was controlled by the family of late NCP leader and former Home Minister RR Patil. The BJP captured power in the municipal council by winning 13 out of 21 seats, while the NCP had remain content with thr remaining eight seats.
In the neighbouring Karad which is the home turf of former chief minsiter and senior Congress leader Prithiviraj Chavan, the Congress elicited mix results. While it technically captured power in the Karad Municipal Council by wiuning ma maximum of 16 seats, the Congress lost the post of President to the BJP’s Rohini Shinde.