Mumbai, Feb 3 The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) came trumps winning three seats while the ruling Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BSS-BJP) and a BJP-supported Independent bagged one seat each, in the biennial MLC elections to five Teachers and Graduates constituencies.
The MVA 'auto-rickshaw' alliance of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party-Shiv Sena (UBT) rammed the 'double-engine' BSS-BJP to capture the Nagpur Teachers Constituency and Aurangabad Teachers Constituency, and the Amravati Graduates Constituency.
Despite its earlier confident claims of bagging all five seats, the BJP had to be content with only the Konkan Teachers Constituency, while the Nashik Graduates Constituency has gone to a BJP-supported Independent Satyajeet Tambe, who has emanated mixed signals on joining the Congress which took disciplinary action against him on election-eve.
"The MVA has given a blow to the BJP in the birthplace of its parent organisation (the RSS)," an elated Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole said on the Nagpur victory.
Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said that "the fact is, BJP has lost four seats" and has also lost its standing among the educated and intellectual classes like Teachers and Graduates who were the voters in these elections.
"The BJP has forfeited four seats... It signifies the party has worn off its charm among the literates and enlightened population. This is a very significant development for the state," Londe said of the much-fiercely contested January 30 electoral battle.
In the latest round of MLC polls, BJP's Dnyaneshwar Mhatre trounced MVA-backed Peasants & Workers Party nominee Balaram Patil in Konkan Teachers Constituency.
The BJP-supported independent and sitting MLC Nago Ganar was beaten by Congress-MVA's Sudhakar Adbale of Vidarbha Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh.
BJP's sitting MLC Ranjeet Patil bit the dust with the Congress-MVA candidate Dhiraj Lingade bagging the Amravati seat.
The NCP-MVA candidate and sitting MLC Vikram Kale defeated BJP's Kiran Patil in Aurangabad.
In Nashik, Congress rebel Satyajeet Tambe won over Sena (UBT)-MVA candidate Shubhangi Patil.
Londhe added that this is the third time in barely three years that the MVA has trounced the BJP on its home turf (Nagpur) comprising the RSS headquarters, plus Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other senior BJP leaders hail from here.
Earlier, the MVA had bagged the Nagpur Graduates Constituency and then the Zilla Parishad elections, and now the Nagpur Teachers Constituency, indicating that the masses are distancing themselves away from the BJP, Londhe said.
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