Maharashtra civic polls: Supporters celebrate as early leads emerge in BMC elections
Mumbai, January 16
Supporters across the state were seen celebrating on Friday as early trends from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections showed candidates leading in several key wards. Congress leader Asha Deepak Kale secured victory in Dharavi Ward 183.
Speaking to ANI, Kale said, "The support of our MP Varsha Gaikwad and MLA Jyoti Gaikwad is the reason behind this victory. With their blessings, we have won this seat. This is the victory of our party workers..."
In Jalgaon Ward 19, BJP's Rajendra Ghuge Patil emerged victorious.
"...All mahayuti candidates have won from the ward. Two of the four were elected unopposed while Shiv Sena's Nikita Vanjari and I won today," Patil said.
After winning Jalgaon ward 19, Shiv Sena's Nikita Vanjari said, "It feels great...Our workers supported us well, so we thank them..."
Supporters of the BJP's Pratap Dattatray Patil celebrated in Kolhapur after his win.
Patil expressed gratitude to voters and said, "I am a believer of development. So, people elected me. This is my second term...I express gratitude to them, I will meet their expectations and work for them."
Meanwhile, BJP's Navnath Ban won Ward 135 in the Mankhurd area, with party workers celebrating the early trends of his victory.
While the Mahayuti alliance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has expanded its lead in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with the trends from preliminary data indicating that the alliance is leading in 117 wards in Mumbai.
BJP is leading in 86 seats, Shiv Sena is leading in 31 seats in Mumbai. The Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance has crossed the 68 mark, with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leading in 9, the UBT Sena in 58, and the NCP (SP) in 1.
Similarly, Ajit Pawar's NCP is also leading in 1 seat, while the Congress party continued to have a dismal performance with leads in only 10 seats.
According to the BMC, UBT's Foram Parmar is trailing in ward 1, while the party candidate Gita Bhandari is leading in ward 32. Shinde's Shiv Sena candidate Varsha Tembelkar is leading in Ward 51.
Meanwhile, inthe BJP camp, Deepak Tavde, Ujjwal Veti, and Neil Somaiya are leading in their respective wards. Congress' Asha Deepak Kale also won the ward number 183 in Mumbai's Dharavi.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Congratulations to Asha Deepak Kale for winning from Dharavi! It's a challenging area and needs strong representation. Hope she works on improving living conditions and sanitation there.
The Congress performance is really worrying. Only 10 leads? They need to seriously rethink their strategy and connect with the grassroots if they want to be relevant in Maharashtra politics again.
BMC elections are always so crucial for Mumbaikars. The winning alliance has a huge responsibility - please fix the potholes before monsoon this time! That's the real test. 🚧
Respectfully, I hope this isn't just about celebration and party politics. We need concrete action plans for waste management, affordable housing, and better public transport. The city is struggling.
Interesting to see MNS leading in 9 seats. They've been quiet for a while. And congrats to all the women candidates who won! Nikita Vanjari, Asha Kale, Varsha Tembelkar - good to see representation.
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