New Delhi: The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party alliance on Wednesday secured 40 out of the 58 zilla parishad seats in Nagpur, dislodging the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from the district council.
The Congress won 30 seats, while the NCP bagged 10.
The elections to Nagpur and and five other ZPs were held on Tuesday and results were announced on Wednesday.
The BJP secured 15 seats and the Shiv Sena got one. An independent candidate bagged one seat.
In the Panchayat Samiti elections, the Congress secured 57 seats, NCP 21, BJP 25, Shiv Sena 7 and independents 4.
BJP’s other losses
The BJP on Thursday lost the posts of chairman and deputy chairman of Kolhapur and Nashik ZPs in Maharashtra, losing to Sena-Congress-NCP groupings.
But the saffron party retained these posts in Sangli ZP, where local Sena members decided to back it.
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The BJP and Sena, former allies, are adversaries in state politics since Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government came to power in November.
Zilla Parishads are important local bodies and sometimes called “mini-mantralayas” (mini-secretariats) in terms of powers.
Political alignments changed in three ZPs after the BJP-Sena alliance ended.
In Kolhapur and Nashik, Shiv Sena joined hands with the Congress and NCP in elections for chairman and deputy chairman’s post.
Sena’s Balasaheb Kshirsagar and NCP’s Sayaji Gaikwad became chairman and deputy chairman in Nashik ZP, while Bajrang Patil of Congress and Satish Patil of NCP became chairman and deputy chairman of Kohapur ZP.
In Sangli ZP, Prajakta Kore and Shivaji Dongre, both from the BJP, became new chairperson and deputy chairman as three Shiv Sena members voted for BJP.
‘Beginning of defeat’
The BJP losing the Nagpur ZP marks the beginning of its defeat in Vidarbha, Maharashtra minister and state NCP chief Jayant Patil said on Wednesday.
The Congress bagged seats are in the pocket boroughs of Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis.
“The BJP losing the Nagpur ZP election marks the beginning of its defeat elsewhere in Vidarbha,” Patil said.
“The BJP faced defeat where it is in command and has strong leaders. The people of Nagpur have expressed their disappointment with Devendra Fadnavis and BJP. Maharashtra will take a note of it,” Patil said.
NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said the BJP’s defeat signals the end of “fascist politics”
“The defeat of BJP in the RSS homeland of Nagpur signals the end of fascist politics & dawn of development. I thank the voters of Nagpur for showing BJP it’s place,” Tapase said.
(With PTI inputs)