Mumbai, Feb 9 Following the Legislative Assembly, Municipal Corporations, and Municipal Councils, the BJP has maintained its dominance in the Zilla Parishad elections as well.
Out of 12 Zilla Parishads, the BJP secured a majority or emerged as the single largest party in six districts. After the BJP, Ajit Pawar’s NCP clinically secured the second spot, overtaking the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The MahaYuti alliance has firmly maintained its stronghold across Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis.
In the election results for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis, where reservations were capped at 50 per cent, announced on Monday, the BJP retained its supremacy. The party won a clear majority in two Zilla Parishads and emerged as the largest party in four others.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena became the largest parties in two Zilla Parishads each, while the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP topped the charts in one district each.
Following the sudden passing of Ajit Pawar, a wave of sympathy benefited his faction of the NCP. They achieved a landslide victory in Pune, winning 51 out of 73 seats, and emerged as the largest party in Kolhapur.
While the Shinde faction previously held the second spot in other local body elections, the Ajit Pawar faction has now claimed the second position in Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis. In some districts, the coming together of both NCP factions also proved beneficial for both.
A significant takeaway for the BJP is its success in Western Maharashtra, a region where the party historically struggled. The party has now firmly established roots in rural areas and the cooperative sector strongholds of this region.
In the Konkan region, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena proved its mettle in Konkan by winning Ratnagiri, delivering a blow to Narayan Rane’s influence. They also emerged as the largest party in Raigad. Congress found its footing in Latur with 23 seats, while Jayant Patil’s influence helped the Sharad Pawar-led NCP become the largest party in Sangli. Despite being the largest parties in several districts, most will require allies to assume power in these local bodies.
In Raigad, Sunil Tatkere (NCP-Ajit Pawar), who has a pre-poll alliance with the BJP, will assume power despite the Shinde faction being the largest. In Latur, Congress is the largest party, but a combined BJP-NCP (Ajit Pawar) strength might keep them out of power. In Sangli & Satara, the coalitions between various factions of the NCP, Congress, and BJP will be mandatory for governance.
However, the political observers claimed that these complex equations raise the possibility of "horse-trading" and unexpected political alignments.
While the Congress party suffered overall losses, local leaders like Satej Patil (Kolhapur), Amit Deshmukh (Latur), and Vishwajeet Kadam (Sangli) secured victories in their respective bastions.
The Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), once a major force, failed to open its account in its former stronghold of Raigad - a major shock for leader Jayant Patil.
Of the 731 seats in 12 zilla parishads, BJP won 225, NCP (Ajit Pawar) 165, Shiv Sena (Shinde) 162, Congress 55, Shiv Sena UBT 43, NCP (Sharad Pawar) 26, MNS 2 and independents/others 41. Of the total 1,462 seats in 125 panchayat samitis, BJP came first with 459 seats, NCP (Ajit Pawar) 306, Shiv Sena (Shinde) 302, Congress 97, Shiv Sena UBT 89, NCP (Sharad Pawar) 46, and independents/others 86.
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