After the counting of votes began in the Latur Municipal Corporation, early trends showed that the BJP took the lead. Candidates contested for 70 seats in the 18 wards of the corporation that is known for being a Congress stronghold.
The Congress has now made a strong comeback, taking a clear lead in the LMC for 37 seats, whereas the Vanchit Bhujan Aghadi has won in all five seats that it contested.
VBA candidates Amol Landge of Vanchit in Ward 13, Sachin Arjun Gaikwad ward 4, Ankita Bhadikar ward 2, Nikita Somvanshi ward 7 and Sujata Janikar ward 11 emerged as clear winners after the counting.
The alliance is moving towards a clear majority.
When counting initially began, there was a tug between the BJP and Congress.
The BJP is now trailing in Latur with 14 seats. Independent candidates are leading in 5 other seats.
During the 2017 elections, the BJP had won with 36 seats, followed by Congress with 33 seats.
This year BJP has fielded candidates for all 70 seats in the constituency, while Congress fielded candidates for 65 seats.
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A total of 36 seats are required for a majority. The LMC saw a 60.07 per cent voter turnout this year.