The BJP is leading in the municipal corporation polls in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, which includes Nagpur, Chandrapur, Akola, and Amravati, in the initial rounds of counting that began on Friday morning.
Of the 151 seats in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, the BJP was leading in 74, followed by the Congress in 22 and Shiv Sena (UBT) in 2, as per early trends. Nagpur is home to prominent leaders such as Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. In the Amravati Municipal Corporation, which has 87 electoral wards, the BJP was leading in 13, the NCP in seven, and the Congress in five. The Yuva Swabhiman Party of MLA Ravi Rana was leading in two seats.
The BJP is reportedly ahead as the counting of votes progresses in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. While the BJP has reportedly won 20 seats, it is closely followed by the Shiv Sena (Shinde), which secured 18 seats. The Shiv Sena (Thackeray) and the MNS won two seats each, TV9 Marathi said, while the Nationalist Congress Party factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar failed to win any seats. The Congress and other parties are also yet to open their accounts in the 122-strong council.
As the counting progressed in Kalyan-Dombivli, three members of the Mhatre family reportedly secured victories in the local body elections. Rekha Mhatre and Dr Ravina Mhatre were both elected to the Municipal Corporation while representing different alliances. Pralhad Mhatre won from 21(A) on a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) ticket, while Dr Ravina Rahul Mhatre emerged victorious from 21(B) representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Meanwhile, Rekha Mhatre won from 21(C) on the Shiv Sena (Shinde) ticket, TV9 Marathi said in a report.
ALSO READ:
- Jalna Municipal Corporation polls: Gauri Lankesh murder accused Shrikant Pangarkar wins as Independent
- Aurangabad election results: 5 latest updates as Chandrakant Khaire's nephew wins, relief for Shinde Sena
- Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar municipal corporation election results: 5 latest updates as AIMIM, BJP register wins; Congress ahead in Latur
- Solapur municipal polls: Murder-accused BJP leader Shalan Shinde wins Ward 2 in major shock for Maharashtra
Meanwhile, some of the big names, including Nitin Patil, Ravi Patil, Ranjana Patil, and Rupali Mhatre, were trailing, the reports said. Elections to the 29 municipal corporations were held after a gap of several years, with terms for most of them having ended between 2020 and 2023. Of these, nine fall in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the most urbanised belt in India.
Voting took place in these municipal corporations: Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Ulhasnagar, Thane, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Mira-Bhayandar, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Latur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Jalna, and Ichalkaranji.