BJP wins Panvel while Congress wins Bhiwandi, Malegaon in civic polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s lotus bloomed in Panvel as the party in a pre-poll alliance with Republican Party of India (Athavale) won 51 seats in the newly formed 78-member Panvel Municipal Corporation. However, it failed to continue its victory march in the elections held to the Bhiwandi and Malegaon civic bodies where the Congress party emerged as the single largest party.

The polling for these three civic bodies took place on Wednesday. The elections to these three bodies took place against the backdrop of BJP’s sterling performance in the recently held polls to the 13 municipal corporations, 25 zilla parishads and 210 municipal council and nagar panchayats in the state.

As far as Bhiwandi and Malegaon are concerned, the Congress has regained lost ground. 

In the 84-member Malegaon civic body, the Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 28 seats followed by NCP-Janata Dal alliance with 26 seats, and the Shiv Sena with 13 seats. Ironically, the BJP came fourth by winning nine seats while MIM won seven seats and one independent was victorious. All these parties had fought elections independently.

In the 90-member Bhiwandi civic body, the faction-ridden Congress party has emerged as  the single largest party by winning 47 seats. Bhiwandi city Congress chief Shoab Guddu told DNA, “The voters have rejected the BJP and they have wholeheartedly supported the Congress party for the speedy development of the powerloom town.”

During the poll campaign, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had called upon the voters to vote for BJP to get a majority assuring the government’s assistance in its overall development.