Nirupam someone too important to lose, says Congress post BMC drubbing

Congress party spokesman Randeep Surjewala on Thursday said the grand old party has lost an important person post Sanjay Nirupam's decision to resign as president of the Mumbai unit. 'On talking about the Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam's resignation, the party has lost someone important and only after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) results, the fate of the party will be decided,' said Surjewala.

'During this BMC election, money has been lavishly spent. This phase is a testing time for the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who promise many things but don't abide on any,' added Surjewala.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena today secured substantial wins in the BMC election. In all ten municipal corporations and 25 zila parishads went to polls in Maharashtra. Parties that faced crushing defeats included the Congress, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Of the 227 seats up for grabs in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena has won 84 seats, the BJP 82, the Congress 31, the NCP nine and the MNS seven. Other candidates have won 13 seats.

In Pune, the BJP has won 74 of the 162 seats, the NCP 34, the Shiv Sena eight, the MNS five and the Congress two. In Thane, the Shiv Sena won 42 of the 131 seats, the NCP 16, the BJP 14, while the MNS and the Congress won four and one seat respectively.