Congress, NCP shine in ZP, panchayat polls
The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may have suffered a setback in urban Maharashtra but they made their mark in rural areas, grabbing over 60% of the seats in the 27 Zilla Parishad (ZP) elections.
The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may have suffered a setback in urban Maharashtra but they made their mark in rural areas, grabbing over 60% of the seats in the 27 Zilla Parishad (ZP) elections.
The NCP much did better than the Congress, its close rival in the rural polls.
The Congress and NCP contested the ZP and 309 panchayat samiti polls independently. Nearly 1,615 seats were up for grabs in ZPs. The NCP bagged the most seats, 526, followed by the Congress with 458. Some results were not declared till late Friday night. The BJP and the Shiv Sena have won 255 and 198 seats, respectively.
The Congress has staked claim to power in 12 ZPs, of which it has gained absolute majority in Sindhudurg and Latur. “We are in a position to claim power in 12 ZPs in the state,” state Congress president Manikrao Thakre said.
The NCP has an absolute majority in four ZPs, and is likely to claim power in 13 districts, while the BJP-Shiv Sena will be staking claim to seven ZPs.