Latest revision as of 09:18, 5 December 2023

[edit] 2016, municipal councils: BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena, NCP won

The Times of India, Dec 20 2016

Prafulla Marpakwar

Congress, which was down and out in the first two phases of municipal council elections in Maharashtra, came up with an impressive performance in the third phase, winning the maximum number of seats -126 -out of a total of 409. The BJP came second with 119 seats, followed by the NCP (79) and Shiv Sena (48).

Also, in the 19 councils in the Marathwada region that went to the polls in the third phase, the Congress won the same number of presidents' posts as the BJP: eight. The NCP won only one st of president, while post of president, while Shiv Sena failed to open its account in the region.

However, despite the Congress's comeback in the latest phase on the turf of former CM and state unit chief Ashok Chavan, the Fadnavis-led BJP has emerged as the biggest gainer in the polls, having won the largest number of posts of president and members in 197 councils.

BJP has secured 65 posts of president, followed by 34 by the Congress, 26 by Shiv Sena and 20 by NCP. Out of 4,560 members' seats, BJP has secured 1,093, while Congress won 899.

[edit] 2017: BJP gains

Prafulla Marpakwar, In 2012, Saffron Party Had Drawn A Blank In Latur, Vilasrao's Hometown, April 22, 2017: The Times of India

Latur, Chandrapur and Parbhani, Success of BJP in civic polls along with seats of other parties; Prafulla Marpakwar, In 2012, Saffron Party Had Drawn A Blank In Latur, Vilasrao's Hometown, April 22, 2017: The Times of India

BJP continued its march in Maharashtra at the expense of Congress, winning a clear majority in the municipal corporation election in Marathwada's Latur, along-time bastion of the the Grand Old Party'.

Latur is the hometown of Maharashtra's late former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, and Congress has held charge of the municipal corporation here for decades. BJP has won 36 of the 70 seats in Latur's municipal corporation, with Congress bagging just 33 despite Deshmukh's sons campaigning for the party.

The elections were considered an acid test for the Deshmukh family , especially since they were fought under the leadership of the late Congress veteran's MLA son Amit. In the 2012 civic election, BJP had not won a single seat in Latur, while Congress bagged 49, NCP 13 and Shiv Sena six. The situation was better for Congress in Parbhani, another Marathwada city , where the party wrested control from NCP. In the 65-member civic body, Congress won 31 seats, NCP 18, BJP eight, Shiv Sena six, and Independents two.

In 2012, Congress had won 23 seats in Parbhani, NCP 30, Shiv Sena eight, BJP two and others two.

However, the 66-member civic body for Chandrapur, led by a Congress-NCP coalition since 2012, in Vidarbha saw a BJP victory . BJP doubled its 2012 tally here, winning 36 seats.

As for others, Congress won 12 seats, NCP two, Shiv Sena two, BSP eight, MNS two, and Independents four.In 2012, Congress won 26 seats in the civic body, BJP 18, NCP four, Shiv Sena five, BSP two, MNS one, and Independents ten.

Hailing BJP's performance in the polls, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “The BJP is creating history yet again.“

In this February's polls to 10 corporations, BJP had pushed Congress to single-digit figures in many cities. Last month, BJP won the post of president in 10 of 25 zilla parishads. (Inputs from PTI)

[edit] 2017, municipal corporations: BJP wins 8 of 10 corporations

BJP cuts Tiger's tail, wins 8 of 10 Maha corporations, Feb 24, 2017: The Times of India

In the hierarchy of elections, municipal elections are generally considered a lowly third, after Lok Sabha and assembly . But the very bitter falling-out between allies BJP and Shiv Sena had already injected a strong element of both political and personal drama into the elec tions to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the country's richest civic body, which the Thackerays have controlled for two decades.

Maharashtra CM Devend ra Fadnavis had all but staked his reputation on the outcome of civic elections across the state, more so in India's financial capital. The first twothree hours of counting of vo tes seemed to suggest that he had gambled foolishly .

Then, fortunes swung.What had initially seemed to be a one-sided game turned into a last-ball cliffhanger. The Sena finished just two seats ahead of BJP in BMC, while BJP swept 8 of 10 corporations in the state. Uddhav Thackeray's par ty, which had said BJP didn't deserve more than 60 seats in a seat-sharing pact, ended the day as the single largest party but by a mere whisker -a couple of seats ahead of its estranged ally, which ran a high-decibel campaign against rampant corruption and lack of transparency in the Sena-dominated corporation, richly harvesting the anti-incumbency vote despite having been a junior partner in the ruling civic alliance.

The results are a major boost to BJP , which swept eight out of 10 corporations in the state that went to the polls, and a serious setback for the Sena in its bastion, Mumbai, where it was born in 1966.Though it held on to its Marathi votebank, it failed to come within striking distance of the majority mark of 114 in a house of 227 and was matched in tantalizing fashion, as the day of counting progressed, seat for seat, by BJP which drew heavily on Gujarati-Marwari and North Indian votes and a section of the Marathi-speaking population as well.

But with the two parties falling 28 and 30 seats short of the majority , all eyes are now on the possible permutations and combinations that could help one of them win the mayoral election, unless they now choose to bury the hatchet and join hands. Elsewhere, BJP was the single largest party in Ulhasnagar, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Akola, Amravati and Nagpur.

For the 25 zilla parishads, BJP won 397 of the 1,509 seats.It was followed by the NCP with 336, Congress with 293 and Shiv Sena with 259. MNS got one and others 147. Results of 76 seats were still awaited.

[edit] 2017: Mumbai divided by language?

Feb 24, 2017, BMC poll results reveal 'linguistic polarisation', claims BJP leader: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

Lower middle class and the working class among Marathi-speakers voted largely for the Shiv Sena, claims BJP leader Soumen Mukharjee

'The upper middle class and areas with large number of Gujarati-speakers and North Indians voted for the BJP'

MUMBAI: The results of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls+ hint at polarisation along linguistic lines between the BJP and the Shiv Sena+ , claimed a BJP leader. The bickering alliance partners in Maharashtra, who parted ways ahead of the civic body elections, seemed to have divided the voters on regional or linguistic lines, going by the voting patterns, said Soumen Mukharjee, co-convener of BJP's media cell. Lower middle class and the working class among Marathi-speakers voted largely for the Shiv Sena, while the upper middle class and areas with large number of Gujarati-speakers and North Indians voted for the BJP, the voting patterns show, said Mukharjee. Also, the 'old Mumbai' city seemed to have supported the Shiv Sena, while the BJP, which attained its highest-ever tally by winning 82 out of 227 seats, only two less than the Sena, gained more in suburbs, especially the western ones.

"The polarisation has taken place over the linguistic base. Non-Marathi speaking voters have largely voted for the BJP. On the other hand, the old city areas have voted the Shiv Sena because of its strong network of party workers developed over the last so many years," Mukharjee said. As per the data given by the State Election Commission, of the 114 seats in the western suburbs from Bandra to Dahisar, which have a sizeable population of North Indians and Gujarati-speakers, the BJP won 52 and the Sena 38. The exception to this pattern was Bandra East, where Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray lives. BJP did not win a single seat here, while the Sena won five and AIMIM won remaining one seat. A Sena leader pointed out, speaking on the condition of anonymity, that though Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar represents the Bandra constituency in the state Assembly, in the BMC elections+ his party drew a blank in the area. The eastern suburbs had a neck-and-neck contest between the BJP and the Sena. Of the 57 seats, the Shiv Sena won 18 and the BJP 17. Rest went to the NCP, Congress and others.

However, the exception was the suburban Mulund area, a stronghold of BJP MP Kirit Somaiya who had targeted the Sena leadership aggressively during the campaign. In Mulund, which has a sizable Gujarati-speaking population, the BJP won all the six seats. In old Mumbai, which has slums, tenements (chawls) and old 'waadis' (old one-two storey settlements), Sena had an upper hand. Out of the 56 seats, it won 28, while the BJP won 13, Congress 11, MNS two, SP one and the Akhil Bhartiya Sena one. This area comprises Sion-Koliwada, Wadala, Dharavi, Mahim, Worli, Shivdi, Byculla, Mumbadevi, Malbar Hill and Colaba.

The BJP did not win a single seat in Dharavi, known as Asia's largest slum area, Worli and Shivdi. "Sena's appeal to 'sons of soil' (native Maharashtrians) received a good response in the Mumbai city area. On the other hand, the BJP's plank of development and transparency was appreciated by western and eastern suburbs," Mukharjee said.

[edit] 2017, All 27 BJP Muslim Candidates Defeated In Civic Polls

BJP fails to woo Maha Muslim-majority towns, May 27 2017: The Times of India

All 27 Muslim Candidates Defeated In Civic Polls

The BJP bagged the Panvel civic body in Maharashtra's Raigad district, but was virtually rejected in the Muslim-dominated Bhiwandi and Malegaon towns as per election results declared, the day when the NDA central government celebrated its third year in power.

In Panvel Municipal Corporation's first civic polls after it was elevated to a corporation last October, the BJP secured 51 of the 78 seats where it contested the polls independently . The Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and Peasants & Workers Party which fought in alliance, secured 27 seats, of which the PWP bagged 23 and the other two partners secured two each.

The BJP had virtually made it a prestige issue to win the civic body and left no stone unturned to capture the corporation, and in the process, Shiv Sena, other parties and independents were wiped out.

Panvel and surroundings are considered critical in the near future with the upcoming new international airport, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and a new city , Naina, which will attract investments in excess of Rs 60,000 crores. In Malegaon Municipal Corporation with 84 seats in the Nashik district, the Congress emerged the largest single party with 28, followed by Nationalist Congress Party's 20.

The Shiv Sena stood third with 13, the BJP secured nine, the AIMIM bagged seven, the Janata Dal six and a sole independent was elected.

The BJP has contested 55 seats including around 27 Muslim candidates hoping to exploit the triple talaaq issue, but all its Muslim candidates were defeated.

While the Congress, BJP and Shiv Sena fought the polls independently , the NCP fought in alliance with Janata Dal in the elections held on May 24. The Congress came up trumps in the 90-seats strong Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation in Thane district, by bagging 47 seats and will elect its mayor.

The BJP came a distant second with 19 seats, the Shiv Sena won 12, the Republican Party of India-A four, the Samajwadi Party two, and other smaller parties and independents bagged the remaining six seats.

The Congress bettered its performance dramatically over the last elections in 2012, when it held only 26 seats, but the SP took a massive fall from 17 seats then to just two now.The Congress announced on Friday that it would govern both BNCMC and MMC which has thrown up a hung house by getting its mayors elected in the two civic bodies.

Of the total 252 seats in the three civic bodies, the BJP won 79, Congress 77, Shiv Sena 25, PWP 23 and NCP 22. The AIMIM bagged seven, the JD six, the RPI-A four, the SP two, other parties and independents won seven.

[edit] 2017, Mira-Bhayander civic polls

Ambarish Mishra and Sandhya Nair, August 22, 2017: The Times of India

BJP swamps Sena, wipes out NCP in Maha's Mira-Bhayander civic polls

Although it had overtaken the BJP by just a couple of seats in the BMC election cliffhanger in February this year, the Shiv Sena was left way behind by its long-time ally in the Mira-Bhayander municipal corporation polls. The BJP won 61seats -a clear majority -in the 95-strong civic body on Monday, while the Sena, notwithstanding the fact that party president Uddhav Thackeray had personally monitored the poll campaign, won 22.

The BJP had 31seats in the previous civic body, and the Sena 14. Though the earlier House was ruled by the BJP-Sena combine, the two parties, currently together in the state government, contested the August 20 polls separately. So did the Congress and NCP. While Congress came in third with 12 seats (it had 19 earlier), the NCP failed to even open its account this time. TNN

[edit] 2018

[edit] Jan: Gondia zilla parishad

Prafulla Marpakwar, Cong, BJP join hands in Maha local election, January 18, 2018: The Times of India

The talks between Congress and NCP for an alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra polls got a jolt as Congress decided to join hands with BJP for elections to the posts of Gondia zilla parishad president and vice-president.

Though NCP secured 20 seats, followed by BJP (17) and Congress (16), the saffron party supported Congress nominee Seema Madavi, who was elected president, while Congress backed BJP’s Hamit Akbar Ali, who became VP. State Congress chief Ashok Chavan said bitterness between his party and NCP in Gondia is well-known. While state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare expressed displeasure over the Congress-BJP alliance, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said his party didn’t approve of the alliance.

[edit] March: Yuva Sena sweeps Mumbai University senate elections

Yogita Rao, Aditya Thackeray’s outfit sweeps Mumbai Univ polls, March 30, 2018: The Times of India

It was a clean sweep for Aditya Thackeray-led Yuva Sena at Mumbai University’s senate elections on Thursday. Sena won 10 of the 10 seats in the graduates constituency.

Raj Thackeray’s MNVS, which had two seats in the last senate body, seemed to have conceded defeat even before the elections. The MNVS did not officially contest the elections, though two of their candidates did run as Independents. ABVP candidates were at a distant second. Yuva Sena’s Pradeep Sawant said all Shiv Sena ‘shakha pramukhs’ were asked to mobilise voters in their locality. “The planning worked in our favour. None of the other parties had enough voter base. In the reserved category seats, our candidates have won with huge margins,” said Sawant.

[edit] Aug: BJP wrests 2 civic seats from Sena, Cong-NCP

Prafulla Marpakwar, BJP wrests two civic seats from Sena, Cong-NCP, August 4, 2018: The Times of India

Continuing its electoral march in the state, BJP wrested the Congress-NCPruled Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad and Shiv Sena-controlled Jalgaon municipal corporations in wester n and norther n Maharashtra, respectively.

After the victories, CM Devendra Fadnavis emerged more powerful as BJP was not expecting easy wins, considering that voting was held in the backdrop of the anti-BJP atmosphere over Fadnavis’ failure to tackle the Maratha reservation row and dismal implementation of the Rs 32,000-crore loan waiver scheme.

“Despite adverse circumstances, we have won the elections and with huge margins. It indicates faith in the leadership of PM Modi. People have accepted our development model,’’ said Fadnavis.

[edit] Dec: Ahmednagar Mayoral Election and the NCP

Prafulla Marpakwar, NCP men defy whip, vote for BJP’s nominee, December 29, 2018: The Times of India

In a major setback for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, his party’s councillors in the Ahmednagar municipal corporation on Friday defied the party whip and voted in favour of BJP mayoral nominee Babasaheb Wakale. All 18 NCP councillors voted in favour of Wakale, as a result of which he was unanimously elected mayor of the Ahmednagar civic body by 37-0 votes.

In the House of 68, no party had a clear majority. The Shiv Sena had 24 members, followed by NCP (18), BJP (14), Congress (5), BSP (4), SP (1) and independents (2).

A month ago, state NCP president Jayant Patil, in the presence of senior NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil, had asked Ahmednagar-based party activists to ensure the NCP councillors did not vote for a BJP or Sena nominee. While the Sena did not put up any candidate, it appears the NCP councillors did not take the directive seriously.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told TOI that the councillors defied the party whip, following which a show-cause notice has been served to all 18 councillors. “They have been asked to reply within a week. We will decide the course of action against the erring councillors after receiving their reply,” he said.

He said since NCP had contested the civic polls jointly with Congress and other like-minded parties, it was expected that NCP councillors would vote for a joint candidate or if there is no candidate, they would not participate in the voting process. “We are concerned over the way our councillors defied the party whip,” Malik said.

The outcome of the mayoral elections comes as a boost for BJP, particularly for Girish Mahajan, who has succeeded in securing control over all the municipal corporations in Northern Maharashtra. After Jalgaon, Dhule and Nashik, BJP has now gained control over the Ahmednagar civic corporation.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said a show-cause notice had been served to all the 18 councillors who have defied the party whip

[edit] Dec: Dhule, Ahmednagar: BJP, Shiv Sena win

Ranjan Dasgupta, Maha civic polls: BJP tastes maiden victory in Dhule, December 11, 2018: The Times of India

BJP’s juggernaut through the major cities of north Maharashtra continued with the party securing a comfortable majority in the Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC) elections for the first time. In Ahmednagar, Shiv Sena won the maximum number of seats (24) but the 14 winners from BJP could decide the next governing body of the local municipal corporation.

Voting for both municipal corporations took place on Sunday and the counting of votes was done.

The BJP, which had just three members in the outgoing DMC, managed to win 50 seats in the 74-member House, despite facing rebellion from party heavyweight Anil Gote. The ruling NCP-Congress coalition had to be content with 14 seats as against the 41 seats it had last time.

In Ahmednagar, the Sena is short of 11 votes to secure a majority. The NCP is the second largest party with 18 seats, while the BJP has 14 seats.

With the hung verdict in Ahmednagar, all eyes are on the state leaderships of the BJP and the Sena to see if they form a post-poll alliance to retain power.

“We will live up to the firm faith that voters in Dhule have shown in our development plank. We will create a clean and fearfree administration for the citizens. We have improved our performance in Ahmednagar, but it is not as per our expectations. We will introspect where we fell short at the local level. We remain committed to planned development of both these cities,” said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

[edit] 2020

[edit] Zilla Parishad elections

January 11, 2020: The Hindu

The Shiv Sena termed the poll result in Nagpur Zilla Parishad (ZP), where the BJP was ousted from power by the Congress, as “sensational and shocking”.

Polling for six ZPs (332 seats) in Maharashtra — Nagpur, Akola, Washim, Dhule, Nandurbar and Palghar — and the Panchayat Samitis (664 seats) falling in their jurisdiction were held on Tuesday and the results were declared.

The BJP lost control of the ZP in Nagpur, the home district of party stalwarts Devendra Fadnavis and Nitin Gadkari. The BJP won just 15 of the 58 seats in Nagpur ZP, where the Congress secured a tally of 30, while its ally the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) pocketed 10.

An editorial in the Saamana , a mouthpiece of the Sena, pointed out that except Dhule, the BJP suffered defeats in the remaining five district councils. In these five districts, the Congress, the NCP, the Sena and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) have done “very well”, the Marathi daily said.

The editorial said the BJP’s defeat in the home turf of Mr. Fadnavis, the former chief minister, and Mr. Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and MSMEs, was “sensational and shocking” and the outcome shows the rural population was “fed up” with the party. “The Congress had performed well in the Assembly elections in Nagpur [held in October] and now it has wrested the district council from the BJP,” the Sena publication said.

The paper said in Nandurbar and other ZPs, if the Congress had fought the polls in alliance with the Sena, the BJP would have been “finished”. The Sena is in power in Maharashtra in alliance with the Congress and the NCP. In the 56-member Nandurbar ZP, both the Congress and the BJP won 23 seats each, while the Sena, which had no presence earlier in the council, bagged seven.

“No party can get power in the district council without the support of the Sena. The anger of losing power in Nandurbar was so much that BJP goons attacked the Sena party office in Akkalkua,” the paper noted.

However, despite losing in Nagpur, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the ZP polls, winning 109 of the 332 seats on offer.

[edit] Details

Jan 8, 2020: The Times of India

NAGPUR: The Congress- (NCP) combine handed a humiliating defeat to the ruling BJP in the elections to the prestigious Nagpur Zilla Parishad - the home turf of leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis and the R S S.

• Of the total 332 seats for which voting was held in six ZPs, the BJP bagged 103, Congress 73, NCP 46, Shiv Sena 49, VBA 42, while Independents and others secured 14 seats.

• In the 58-seat Nagpur ZP for which polls were held, the Congress bagged 30, the NCP 10, while the BJP managed only 15 seats.

• Besides Nagpur, the BJP was lost in Palghar, Nandurbar and Washim, was neck-to-neck with Congress in Dhule, while the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) bagged surprise control of Akola Zilla Parishad (ZP).

• Final ZP Nagpur tally:

Cong - 31

NCP - 10

BJP - 15

PWP - 1

Sena - 1

Total 58/58

• The BJP also lost the Zilla Parishad seat in party leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkaris native village Dhapewada in Nagpur district, an election official said. (PTI)

• Results declared on 38 seats in Akola:

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi - 15

Shiv Sena - 9

BJP - 5

Independent - 4

NCP - 4

Congress - 2

• Final result for 52 seats Washim zilla parishad: Congress - 9, NCP - 12, Janvikas Aghadi - 7, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi - 8, BJP - 7, Shiv Sena - 6, Sawbhimani Shatkari Sangtna - 1 Independents - 2.

• Results for 54 out of 58 seats are out. Congress - 31, BJP - 14, NCP - 10, PWP - 1, Sena - 1, Others - 1.

• Nagpur: Congress- 21, NCP- 8, BJP- 15, Shiv Sena- 1, others- 1

• Nandurbar zilla parishad results final result: BJP - 23, Congress 23, Shiv Sena - 7, NCP- 3

• BJP leading in Dhule.

• Of the total 54 seats in Nagpur Zilla Parishad, Congress has so far won 10 seats, NCP 4 and BJP managed to get 5 seats. Total number of seats are 54.

• State home minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh's son Salil Deshmukh won from Mendpajara seat in Nagpur.

• The Shivsena-Congress-NCP is fighting in allience against the BJP.

• A Congress candidate won from Koradi in Nagpur which comes under BJP ex-minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule constituency.

• A BJP candidate lost to Congress candidate in Dhapewada seat in Nagpur which is the native place of Nitin Gadakari.

• The election for Nagpur zilla parishad and panchayat samitis had witnessed around 67% polling on Tuesday.

• Counting of votes is being held at 13 tehsil offices. Some 2,000 government staffers have been deployed for counting duty.

[edit] A

January 11, 2020: The Hindu

The Shiv Sena termed the poll result in Nagpur Zilla Parishad (ZP), where the BJP was ousted from power by the Congress, as “sensational and shocking”.

Polling for six ZPs (332 seats) in Maharashtra — Nagpur, Akola, Washim, Dhule, Nandurbar and Palghar — and the Panchayat Samitis (664 seats) falling in their jurisdiction were held on Tuesday and the results were declared.

The BJP lost control of the ZP in Nagpur, the home district of party stalwarts Devendra Fadnavis and Nitin Gadkari. The BJP won just 15 of the 58 seats in Nagpur ZP, where the Congress secured a tally of 30, while its ally the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) pocketed 10.

An editorial in the Saamana , a mouthpiece of the Sena, pointed out that except Dhule, the BJP suffered defeats in the remaining five district councils. In these five districts, the Congress, the NCP, the Sena and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) have done “very well”, the Marathi daily said.

The editorial said the BJP’s defeat in the home turf of Mr. Fadnavis, the former chief minister, and Mr. Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and MSMEs, was “sensational and shocking” and the outcome shows the rural population was “fed up” with the party. “The Congress had performed well in the Assembly elections in Nagpur [held in October] and now it has wrested the district council from the BJP,” the Sena publication said.

The paper said in Nandurbar and other ZPs, if the Congress had fought the polls in alliance with the Sena, the BJP would have been “finished”. The Sena is in power in Maharashtra in alliance with the Congress and the NCP. In the 56-member Nandurbar ZP, both the Congress and the BJP won 23 seats each, while the Sena, which had no presence earlier in the council, bagged seven.

“No party can get power in the district council without the support of the Sena. The anger of losing power in Nandurbar was so much that BJP goons attacked the Sena party office in Akkalkua,” the paper noted.

However, despite losing in Nagpur, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the ZP polls, winning 109 of the 332 seats on offer.

[edit] B

January 8, 2020: The Times of India

NAGPUR: The BJP lost the Zilla Parishad (ZP) seat in party leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari's native village Dhapewada in Nagpur district, an election official said.

Congress candidate Mahendra Dongre won the Dhapewada seat in election held on Tuesday defeating BJP nominee Maruti Somkuvar. Dongre secured 9,444 votes, while Somkuvar received 5,501 votes, the official said.

The ZP's Dhapewada circle (seat) was with the BJP for the last three terms. This time the seat in Kalmeshwar taluka of the district was reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates. The Nagpur ZP has 58 circles (seats) where polling was held on Tuesday and counting of votes taken up.

[edit] 2021

[edit] Gram panchayat polls

Prafulla Marpakwar, January 20, 2021: The Times of India

While Shiv Sena claimed it had won 3,113 gram panchayats out of a total of 12,711, BJP maintained that it was the biggest party having registered wins in 5,781.

Sena spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said the party secured victory in 3,113 seats, followed by BJP (2,632), NCP (2,400) and Congress (1,823). In the 2017 gram panchayat elections, Sena had won only 637 gram panchayats out of 7,590 that had then gone to the polls.

However, BJP countered this, with its spokesperson Keshav Upadhye contending that it had won 5,781 gram panchayats. “We have secured 45.5% of votes polled,” he said. There were no takers for BJP’s claims. The gram panchayat elections are not contested on party symbols and all candidates are considered independents I.

“State BJP president Chandrakant Patil had said that the party had won in 6,000 gram panchayats, while on Wednesday, it has lowered the figures. I will request BJP leaders not to mislead the people but to accept defeat,” state Congress president and revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat said.

Congress too came out with its own data, saying it had won 2,513 seats, while Sena had won 3,108, BJP 2,263 and NCP 2,399. But while Sena’s Pradhan claimed that independents had won more seats than Congress, a Congress functionary said that Pradhan’s contention that Congress had been relegated to the fourth position was wrong. The MVA has claimed that it has swept the panchayat polls which were held in 34 out of the 36 districts.

[edit] 2022, October

[edit] Gram Panchayats' elections

TNN, Oct 18, 2022: The Times of India

MUMBAI: Election results of 1,165 gram panchayats in 17 districts across the state were marked by claims and counter claims by the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress on one side and the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led faction of Sena on the other.

These are the first elections to rural bodies since Shinde took over as the CM on June 30, 2022.

BJP leader and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has congratulated party BJP workers for securing control over the highest number of gram panchayats, while Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Nana Patole claimed that it was the MVA which had captured the maximum number of gram panchayats.

“BJP’s claims are misleading. Congress performance was impressive. In the past too, it had won more gram panchayats than BJP,’’ Patole said.

As per data released by BJP, of 1,141 gram panchayats, while results have been declared in 946, BJP has won in 397, Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction 81, Thackeray’s faction 87, Congress 104, NCP 108, CPI 57, independents 95 and others 17.

The Thackeray faction of Sena has claimed that the MVA has gained control over 781 panchayats, while BJP and Shinde faction together have won 361 and others 23. NCP, it claimed, has won 287, BJP 264, Congress 251, Thackeray faction 243 and Shinde faction 97.

[edit] 2022, December

[edit] Gram panchayats

Clara Lewis, Dec 21, 2022: The Times of India

Mumbai : BJP claimed to have won the highest number of seats in the elections to 7,682 gram panchayats across the state. It also claimed that BJP-Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena alliance had got the maximum seats. However, MVA too made similar claims of having won the most seats.


The gram panchayat elections are contested by individuals and not as members of political outfits, though many of the contestants are affiliated to parties. Hence, the rival claims on the seats won. According to the BJP, while it has won 2,482 seats, the Eknath Shinde faction has emerged successful in 842.


The Congress claimed to have won 900 seats. In Nagpur district, it said it had emerged the winner in 200 of 236 seats. The BJP, however, disputed the figure, saying the Congress had won 809 seats, while the NCP had secured 1,287. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has won 639 seats, it said, with otherssecuring 1,135.


The State Election Commission (SEC) had announced elections to 7,751 gram panchayats. However, in the case of 69, members were elected unopposed. Hence, only 7,682 went to polls. The SEC announced the results for all 65,916 gram panchayat seats, of which 14,028 saw members elected unopposed. Direct elections were also held for the post of sarpanch. In elections conducted for 7,619 sarpanch posts, 699 were elected unopposed. Sixty-three gram panchayats saw no nominations being filed forthe post of sarpanch.


Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said BJP had once again proved it is the No. 1 party in the state. Terming the results as “historic”, BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule claimed that it showed rural Maharashtra trusted the newgovernment.


CM Eknath Shinde said while the opposition had criticised his regime for doing little for farmers, it was his government’s pro-farmer decisions that reflected in the gram panchayat elections.


State Congress chief Nana Patole dismissed the saffron leaders’ claims as hollow, saying BJP had lost in Fetari village adopted by it and in the hometown ofBawankule. 
AAP retained the Kawalewadi gram panchayat in Osmanabad district as also the Siddhanath gram panchayat in Nanded district and Sarola gram panchayat in Aurangabad. In Jalgaon, the brother of avictorious candidate in Jamner died of a cardiac arrest amid stone-pelting.

[edit] Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs)

[edit] 2023

Parthasarathi Biswas, May 4, 2023: The Indian Express

IN WHAT will warm the hearts of the troubled Maha Vikas Aghadi, the three parties part of the strained coalition managed to win most of the 255 agricultural produce marketing committees (APMCs), for which elections were held in Maharashtra on April 28.

Perhaps for the first time ever, all the 255 APMCs in Maharashtra went to polls simultaneously. While in some of them Covid-19 had delayed elections, others such as Pune had not seen polls for 20 years.

Like in other cooperative elections, party symbols are not used for APMC polls, but parties try and ensure their “panels” win. This time, MVA constituents Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress went for micro and macro adjustments to keep their flock together.

While the MVA parties won in most of the mandis, there were a few exceptions, with the NCP and BJP coming together to keep out the Congress, and the Congress and BJP uniting to win against the NCP at some places.

In Karad, where the NCP and BJP joined hands, the Congress-backed still panel won 12 of the 18 seats. In Varud market committee in Amravati district, the Congress got together with the BJP to win. With all parties hitting the road, canvassing to get their panels elected, MVA leaders called the results, released on Sunday, an indication of which way the wind is blowing, and said it had fired up their rank and file.

The BJP took heart from managing to “cock a snook” at the NCP by winning the Pune APMC. After the Congress won 18 of the 18 AMPC directorships in Latur’s wholesale market, its Latur Rural MLA Dhiraj Deshmukh said it was an indication of the party’s consolidation of its base. “Thanks to the work of the previous Congress-led panel, voters this time decided to give us full power,” he said. In the outgoing APMC, the BJP held five director posts.

Similarly in the Nashik APMC, the NCP won 9 of 15 director seats and the BJP 5. Devidas Pingale of the NCP alleged they lost the 5 due to “official interference”.

BJP-led or supported panels managed to win in Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahmednagar, Karjat. The Pune election was keenly watched as it was being held after 20 years. Here, the BJP-backed ‘all-party panel’, comprising mainly NCP rebels, won 13 of the 18 director posts, in news that will be shocking for the NCP that sees Pune as its base. In another setback to the NCP, the BJP won the Karjat APMC. High-profile NCP leader Rohit Pawar (grandnephew of Sharad Pawar) is the MLA from Karjat Jamkhed constituency. The BJP’s Ram Shinde, whom he defeated, is believed to have played a crucial role in the APMC elections.

In Vidarbha, the BJP suffered setbacks as its state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule failed to retain the APMC in Kamptee Maudha.

The party also lost important APMCs in Buldhana, Yavatmal and Akola. In Sangli, BJP MLA and Labour Minister Suresh Khade saw the APMC directorship go to an MVA-led panel.

Similarly, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) ministers Dadasaheb Bhuse and Sanjay Rathod could not ensure victory of panels in their areas – Malegaon (Nashik) and Digras (Yavatmal), respectively.

APMCs are cooperative bodies responsible for regulating trade of agricultural produce in their area of operation, aned hold a lot of clout in Maharashtra rural areas. A former director of marketing of Maharashtra said an APMC director post is coveted next only to being an MLA of the area.

The APMC director is elected by its constituent members, which include gram panchayats, primary agricultural credit societies, and unions of workers, traders and commission agents. The directors then elect an APMC chairman. An APMC’s term is five years.

Pointing out that since there is never any let-up in trade in agricultural committees, the officer said the APMCs are always rich in cash. “They have their own budget which they can use to develop markets and directors can use this platform to strengthen their hold over voters.”

Several serving ministers and many sitting MLAs in the state have been APMC directors.

[edit] Gram Panchayat

[edit] 2023

Nov 7, 2023: The Times of India

PUNE/NASHIK/KOLHAPUR: The mood in Maharashtra’s ruling camp was upbeat on Monday after the gram panchayat election results showed the Mahayuti alliance — BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar faction of NCP — was way ahead of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, bagging 1,350 of the 2,359 gram panchayats that went to polls. The results were still to be updated at the time of going to press.

The split in NCP hurt the Sharad Pawar camp as they won in just 178 rural bodies, while the Ajit Pawar faction won 371 gram panchayats. BJP reigned supreme with victories in 743 gram panchayats, while chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured 240 panchayats. Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao-led BRS, which has recently entered Maharashtra politics, made an impressive debut winning 53 gram panchayats.

[edit] District milk producers’ societies

[edit] Aurangabad

[edit] 2022

January 22, 2022: The Times of India

Aurangabad: BJP and Shiv Sena backed panels won the maximum number of seats in the election to the Aurangabad district milk producers’ society held.

Of the total 14 seats, BJP and Sena supported candidates won six seats each. Senior BJP functionary and former Maharashtra assembly speaker Haribhau Bagde is slated to become the chairman of the prestigious milk producers’ society.


Bagde bagged 274 votes against his rival candidate Suresh Pathade, who secured only 65 votes, revealed the official data. Bagde, with Maharashtra minister of state and Sena’s Sillod MLA Abdul Sattar, have been credited for the victory of their respective party-supported panels.


Notably, Sattar, in the recent past, had hinted at a reunion between Sena and BJP. TNN

[edit] Nagar panchayat elections

[edit] 2022

January 20, 2022: The Times of India

MUMBAI: BJP on Wednesday emerged as the single largest party after winning 384 out of 1,649 seats in the recently-held nagar panchayat elections in Maharashtra.

Earlier in the day, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil claimed that his party has emerged as the single largest political force in the state and can lead 24 nagar panchayats.

The state election commission (SEC) declared the results stating that BJP had won 384 seats, followed by NCP with 344 seats. As per the SEC's data, Congress has won 316 seats, while Shiv Sena, which currently has the chief minister post, managed to bag only 284 seats.

As many as 206 Independent candidates have also won in this election, it was stated.

The vote count of nine nagar panchayats from Gadchiroli district will be held on Thursday, the SEC said.

Speaking to reporters here earlier in the day, Patil claimed, "The elections were held for 106 nagar panchayats in the state, where BJP has won more than 400 seats. We are in a strong position to lead 24 local bodies and we need the support of a couple of corporators to stake claim in another six towns."

Despite being out of power in the state for nearly 26 months, BJP has managed to record such success, he said.

"This shows that our network of party workers and local leaders can deliver good results without the support of any government power or resources. Shiv Sena got the chief minister's post, but it is struggling to remain in the third or fourth position in these elections," Patil said.

"Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray seems to be content with his post. He cares less for his party or party leaders, as they are losing ground across the state. The situation has benefitted the NCP," he said.

The BJP leader further claimed that the discontent among leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi was visible, and hence, they have suffered in these local polls.

"The BJP has benefited to some extent. Some of our leaders will hold meetings in various parts of the state to introspect," he said.

The party will hold meetings in all the districts ahead of polls to 20 municipal corporations and 282 local bodies in the next two months, Patil said. Former minister and BJP leader from Beed district Pankaja Munde said, "The MVA government's flip-flops on the OBC quota ahead of these polls has upset people. The three parties suffered a setback because they did not fight strongly for the OBCs."