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BJP hopes to maintain winning streak in Ahmednagar and Dhule civic polls
Elections for municipal corporations in Ahmednagar and Dhule were held on Sunday, with voter turnout recorded 60 per cent in Ahmednagar; while in Dhule the turnout was 55 per cent, as per early exit poll estimates.
Elections for municipal corporations in Ahmednagar and Dhule were held on Sunday, with voter turnout recorded 60 per cent in Ahmednagar; while in Dhule the turnout was 55 per cent, as per early exit poll estimates.
With Lok Sabha elections a few months away, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to wrest power in both civic bodies in west and north Maharashtra (Dhule), respectively. The counting of votes will take place on Monday.
In the 73-member Dhule municipal corporation, 34 corporators are from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), 10 from the Congress, three from BJP and 11 from Shiv Sena, while the rest are from local outfits and independents.
The BJP fought elections here with its disgruntled legislator Anil Gote pitting his own candidates under the Lok Sangram banner. Ahead of the elections, the BJP had poached 12 of NCP’s sitting corporators, forcing the Sharad Pawar-led NCP to join hands with the Congress.
In Ahmednagar, which witnessed political violence six months ago, 18 seats of the 68-member civic body belonged to the NCP, 11 to Congress, nine to BJP, 17 to Shiv Sena, four with MNS and nine independents. The total voter population for both towns is eight lakh, with voters in Ahmednagar at 3.46 lakh.
The elections results will be crucial for Congress heavyweights from the district and will play a decisive role in the political future of leader of the opposition in the assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, former minister Balasaheb Thorat and state Youth Congress chief Satyajit Tambe.
Vikhe Patil’s son Sujay has publicly expressed his desire to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Ahmednagar constituency.
“The BJP may improve its performance in the polls as they campaigned rigorously. The BJP was the only party to publish its manifesto during the elections,” said local political observer Shivaji Shirke.
In Dhule, the outcome will decide the future of Gote. It will also be important for BJP leader and minister of state for defence, Subhash Bhamre.
“The BJP has a clear lead in Dhule with the party all set to emerge victorious in the civic body,” Bhamre claimed.
In the last two years, BJP has managed to wrest control of more than dozen of civic bodies in the state. Recently, the party won the Sangli and Jalgaon civic polls, continuing its winning streak. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited both towns, Dhule and Ahmednagar, to canvass for party candidates.
Gote’s car attacked in Dhule
Elections in Dhule were marked by violence as unidentified persons pelted stones at local disgruntled BJP MLA Anil Gote’s vehicle. While Gote blamed BJP workers for the violence, BJP leader and minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre said the incident was another attempt by Gote to pull a “stunt”.
Ahmednagar civic employee dies on election duty
An employee of the Ahmednagar municipal corporation died while on election duty on Sunday. Ashok Suryawanshi, an employee with the public works department, was deployed at Tofkhana polling booth when he felt uneasy. Officials said Suryawanshi was immediately rushed to hospital where doctors declared him dead.
