MUMBAI: The BJP suffered a rout in its bastion of Nagpur in the Zilla Parishad elections on Wednesday. In the 57-seat ZP, which the party had controlled till now, it was reduced to 15 while the Congress-NCP alliance bagged 40 seats.
The BJP reversed the sides in Dhule, where the party won 38 of 55 seats. Results for Six ZPs, that went to vote on Tuesday, were declared today. While voters from Nagpur and Dhule gave clear mandate, in all other local bodies including Nandurbar, Palghar, Akola and Washim alliances would be needed as no party or alliance won a clear mandate.
In Nandurbar, of the 56 seats, the Congress and the BJP have won 23 seats each leaving 7 for Shiv Sena and 3 for NCP. This has passed on the key to power in the local body to Shiv Sena. The party also emerged stronger in Mumbai’s neighbouring Palghar district. It won 18 of the 57 seats in Palghar ZP while the NCP could win 16 and the BJP won 11.
In Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar’s home district Akola, his Bharip Bahujan MahaSangh (BBMS) won 19 of 53 seats while the Shiv Sena won 11 seats. In 52-member Washim ZP, local alliance JanVikas Aghadi remained popular preference of the people though Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), NCP and Congress bagged more seats than them.
The three-party alliance like the one ruling the state can come to power in Washim, local sources said. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's son Salil Deshmukh has registered victory from Mendpajara seat in Nagpur, while BJP candidate lost in the ancestral village of union minister Nitin Gadkari.
Meanwhile, at Osmanabad ZP former minister and Shiv Sena MLA Tanaji Sawant turned rebel to help BJP gain power in the local body. Sawant, who was already going unhappy after failing to get into the state cabinet, wanted his nephew to be made official candidate for the post of local body chief. However, when it couldn’t happen, he joined hands with the BJP to get him elected as the deputy chief of the local body.