Election Commision in Maharashtra
Congress-NCP conflate adjure to wrest dominance of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation today seemed coming to a cipher with the country’s lushest civic body since 1996 and ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alignment set to emerge as the biggest party in the election. Shiv Sena-BJP are expected to fall short of majority.
Counting for 10 municipal corporation polls held yesterday and elections to 27 zilla parishads and 309 Panchayat Samitis held on February 7 began this morning.
BMC, the country’s richest civic body with a budget of over Rs 20,000 crore, more than that of many states, has 227 seats, results have been declared for 192 seats.
State Election Commissioner Neela Satyanarayan expressed concern about the low turn-out. In the last three civic polls, over half the electorate in Mumbai did not exercise their franchise, with the voting percentage ranging between 42 and 46 per cent. In 2007 polls, only 46 per cent had voted.
In Mumbai, the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine was ahead in 106seats, while the Congress-NCP alliance finished with 66 seats. Raj Thackeray-led MNS was leading in about 28 seats. The others with 27.
In Thane, the Sena-BJP combine was leading in 62 seats while the Congress-NCP front was leading in 52 seats, MNS was leading with 7 seats and others are 9.
In Pune, the Sena-BJP combine was leading in 25 seats while the Congress-NCP front was leading in 66 seats, MNS was leading in 23 seatsand others are 1.
Elections were also held yesterday for Thane(130/130), Pune(107/152), Ulhasnagar, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Nashik(62/122), Akola, Amravati and Nagpur municipal corporations. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine rules Mumbai, besides the neighbouring Thane (total seats 130), Ulhasnagar (78), Nashik (122) and Nagpur (79/145).
Congress controls Amravati (87), the Congress-NCP combine rules in Pune (152) and Solapur (102). NCP alone holds Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body (126) while Congress alone rules in Amravati (87).
Akola municipal corporation has 73 seats and was under Congress-NCP rule but was dissolved by state government last year over financial irregularities.
