Mumbai: The counting of votes for Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) election is underway on Monday. Shiv Sena is leading in 52 seats out of 122, while the BJP-led combine was ahead in Kolhapur civic polls.
The contest, fought separately by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, will impact the future of alliance which rules Maharashtra. Counting of votes got underway this morning for the two civic body polls held yesterday.
As per trends available for 101 seats, the Shiv Sena was leading in 52 seats in the 122-member KDMC. However, the Sena suffered a setback in KDMC as Mayor Kalyani Patil was defeated by Bharatiya Janata Party’s Suman Nikam.
The BJP, which fought independently, was leading in 28 and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 12 seats, while Congress-NCP was ahead in six and others in three places. Out of 122 wards under KDMC, voting was conducted in 117 as two villages had boycotted the election and three villages elected candidates unopposed.
In Kolhapur, where trends of 72 of the total 81 seats were available so far, the BJP-Tararani combine was ahead with 28, followed by Congress with 25. NCP was leading in 14 and others in 2. The Sena was a distant fourth, leading in just 3 seats.
In the 2010 elections, the party wise break-up of seats won by various political parties in KDMC was — BJP 9, NCP 14, Congress 15, Sena 31, MNS 27 and Independents 11. The seats won by various parties in Kolhapur Municipal Corporation in the 2010 polls were — BJP 3, NCP 25, Congress 31, Sena 4, other registered political parties with SECM 5 and Independents 9.
About 47 percent of the voters exercised their franchise in the elections to the Kalyan-Dombivili twin cities yesterday, while nearly 70 percent polling took place in Kolhapur Municipal Corporation polls, according to the State Election Commission of Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy tweeted:
As the bitterly fought KDMC polls to elect 122 corporators came to an end on Sunday, major political parties exuded confidence of winning maximum number of seats.
According to State Election Commission of Maharashtra, about 47 percent of the voters exercised their franchise for the 122-ward civic body of the twin cities of Kalyan and Dombivali, currently run by Shiv Sena-BJP.
BJP legislator from Dombivli Ravindra Chavan claimed that BJP will continue to remain in power.
“Smart City and development was the choice of voters of the twin cities and I hope it has reflected in their voting. After the results are announced, you will see that the Mayor will be from the BJP,” he claimed.
On the other hand, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde expressed confidence that Sena will retain power in the municipal corporation that will set the tone for the crucial Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai election in 2017.
“We have no doubt about it as people are fed up of BJP’s dictatorship and their habit of terrorising of local leaders,” Shinde said. He further said the Sena will emerge as the single largest party and will not need the support of any other party.
NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase expressed shock at the “low grade political barbs” traded by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray while campaigning for the KDMC poll.”Leaders from both these parties have manipulated the system to win the election,” he charged.
Congress leader and member of State Legislative Council Sanjay Dutt too expressed confidence that his party will perform good. The BJP currently has nine corporators in the 122-member KDMC and it shares power along with the Sena that has 31 corporators along with the support of a few Independents.
Bureau Report
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