MUMBAI: Despite efforts by all other parties, the BJP has emerged number one in getting its members elected as speakers and deputy speakers in most of the Panchayat Samitis across the state, state BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said here on Wednesday.
Elections for the post of speaker and deputy speaker were held for the 283 Panchayat Samitis across the state on Tuesday. “The BJP has got its candidate elected as Speaker in 86 Panchayat Samitis, while in 92 places the party got its member elected as deputy speaker,” Bhandari said here claiming that the numbers exceed the mark of hundred if elected members of various fronts and that of BJP allies are taken into account.
“The victory underlines BJP’s increased following in rural Maharashtra,” Bhandari added.
The party has won both posts in all Panchayat Samitis in Jalgaon, Latur and Vardha districts, while its has won majority of these posts in Chandrapur, Jalna, Aurangabad, Solapur, Kolhapur and Sangli districts. Out of 26 districts where elections were held, the party has marked it’s presence in 19 districts on its own. This also shows that the party has grown its power in all the divisions of the state, Bhandari said.
The BJP had won 831 of 2,990 seats from 283 Panchayat Samitis in elections held on February 23. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was second with 674 seats, Congress was the third with 591 seats and Shiv Sena stood fourth with 581 members.
“We shall keep the lead intact in ZP Chairman’s elections also,” Bhandari said.