BJP loses two district councils as MVA allies come together

Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners – Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress – on Thursday managed to wrest Kolhapur and Nashik district councils

Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners – Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress – on Thursday managed to wrest Kolhapur and Nashik district councils or zilla parishads (ZP) from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) . Soon after the formation of government, the three parties decided to contest elections to local district and municipal bodies together to oust the BJP, which had established control on most local self-government bodies in the past five years.

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Congress candidate Bajrang Patil defeated BJP nominee Arun Ingawale in Kolhapur ZP, securing 41 votes against the BJP candidate’s 24. NCP candidate Satish Patil became the deputy president. In the 67-member Kolhapur ZP, the BJP has 13 members, followed by the Shiv Sena with 10 members, NCP 10 and Congress 14. There were 18 others including 11 BJP supporter members and seven Congress supporters. In Nashik district council, Sena candidate Balasaheb Kshirsagar was elected unopposed as president and Sayaji Gaikwad of NCP as the vice-president.

SOMAIYA SLAMS SENA

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya slammed the Sena, accusing it of failing to find an alternate plot of land for a Metro shed planned at Aarey. He alleged the Sena was pressuring a committee tasked to find an alternative plot, although it had already confirmed that Aarey was the only suitable spot.