BMC poll results a slap on Cong-NCP's face: Shiv Sena

In the first reaction after a positive verdict in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut said here that the victory was a slap on the face of Congress-NCP.

In the first reaction after a positive verdict in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut said here that the victory was a slap on the face of Congress-NCP.

Sena-BJP-RPI alliance looked set to emerge as the largest block in the BMC by early afternoon.

"Mumbaikars have slapped Congress-NCP across the face," said Raut, adding that citizens of the megapolis would never tolerate the insult of Shiv Sena president Bal Thackeray.

Referring to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's statement during the campaign that Sena supremo would become irrelevant after the Mumbai polls, Raut said the results were a slap for Chavan too.

About Raj Thackeray-led MNS, which was expected to eat massively into Shiv Sena's vote bank, Raut said, "There is nothing like MNS factor."

Raut added that Ramdas Athavale-led faction of Republican Party of India, which had allied with Sena-BJP for these polls, did contribute to the alliance's performance.

NCP takes PCMC single-handedly

However, Sharad Pawar-led NCP has secured clear majority in the neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), winning 73 out of 124 seats, the results for which were declared by late afternoon.

NCP was followed by Congress which could bag 16 seats, while Shiv Sena won 14 seats.

A highlight of the PCMC election was the noteworthy performance of Raj Thackeray-led MNS, which opened its account by winning four seats. MNS had no member in the outgoing house.

SS-BJP alliance set to emerge largest bloc in BMC