NCP drubs Cong in Navi Mumbai polls

Although the Congress in Maharashtra won 82 seats compared to ruling alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party’s 62 in the 288-member state assembly six months ago, the latter had the last laugh in the Navi Mumbai civic body election on Monday.

Although the Congress in Maharashtra won 82 seats compared to ruling alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party’s 62 in the 288-member state assembly six months ago, the latter had the last laugh in the Navi Mumbai civic body election on Monday.

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The NCP retained control of the corporation, winning 55 of the 89 seats in Mumbai’s satellite town while the Congress got 13 after the NCP decided to go in alone in the polls held on Sunday. The Shiv Sena won 16 seats and the BJP 1.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena drew a blank.

In the three other civic body polls in Aurangabad, Ambernath and Badlapur, the Sena managed to retain power in two. But in Ambernath, the opposition Sena and BJP may lose to the NCP-led alliance.

In Delhi, the Congress sought to downplay the setback. “Local body elections are fought on local issues. To say that the results are indicative of the state government’s functioning is not correct,” party spokesperson Manish Tewari said.