Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Counting of votes for elections to six municipal councils and one nagar panchayat in the district will begin at 10 am on Sunday, with results expected to be clear by around noon. The outcome will decide who will govern these seven cities for the next five years.
Polling for the posts of president and councillors in the municipal councils of Kannad, Vaijapur, Sillod, Gangapur, Paithan and Khuldabad was held on December 2, while voting for the Phulambri Nagar Panchayat took place on December 20. Accordingly, counting will be conducted on December 21 at all seven locations. Administrative preparations have been completed.
Counting arrangements include five rounds on 12 tables in Kannad with 75 officials; five rounds on 12 tables in Vaijapur with 80 staff; four rounds on 10 tables in Gangapur with 60 staff; and seven rounds on 12 tables in Sillod with 36 staff. In Khuldabad, counting will be held in two rounds on 10 tables with 30 staff; in Paithan, five rounds on 14 tables with 200 staff; and in Phulambri, three rounds on nine tables with 36 staff.
Strict police security has been deployed, and victory processions have been banned in most towns to prevent post-result disputes.
Fate of 617 candidates to be decided
A total of 579 candidates are contesting 160 councillor seats, while 38 candidates are in the fray for seven president posts. The political fate of all 617 candidates will be decided today.
Ruling parties locked in direct contests
In most towns, contests are primarily among parties ruling at the state level. Vaijapur is witnessing a fight between the Shinde Sena and the BJP, while Sillod has a triangular contest involving the Shinde Sena, BJP and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. Paithan has a multi-cornered contest among BJP, Shinde Sena, Congress, Uddhav Sena and AIMIM, while Phulambri has a direct fight between the BJP and the Uddhav Sena. Gangapur and Khuldabad are seeing contests among the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, BJP, Uddhav Sena, Congress, Shinde Sena and AIMIM. Kannad has a contest involving the Shinde Sena, Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Congress.
Prestige test for ruling MLAs
In Sillod, Abdul Sameer, son of Shinde Sena MLA Abdul Sattar, is contesting the president’s post, while in Vaijapur, Sanjay Bornare, brother of MLA Ramesh Bornare, is in the fray. This has made the elections a prestige battle for both MLAs. Similarly, in Paithan and Kannad, the influence of Shinde Sena MLAs Vilas Bhumre and Sanjana Jadhav is at stake. In Gangapur and Khuldabad, BJP MLA Prashant Bamb and NCP MLC Satish Chavan are also facing a test of political dominance. In Phulambri, BJP MLA Anuradha Chavan is contesting municipal elections for the first time under her leadership, making it a crucial test for her.