The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delivered a commanding performance in the urban local body elections across Nagpur district, decisively winning the directly elected president posts in 22 out of 27 municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The results, declared on Sunday, underscore the party's deepening political dominance in the Vidarbha region and mark a significant erosion of the Congress party's influence.
A Verdict of Political Significance
The electoral outcome holds added weight as Nagpur is the political home turf of several top BJP leaders, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. The elections were widely seen as a prestige test for the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Chief Minister Fadnavis, addressing reporters in Nagpur, attributed the sweeping victory to meticulous planning and ground-level coordination. He specifically praised Minister Bawankule's efforts, stating that his attention to minute details and constituency visits were pivotal.
"Due to the efforts of the BJP team, we managed to win Kamptee for the first time in 40 years and secured a majority of municipal councils and nagar panchayats," Fadnavis said. The victory was particularly sweet for Bawankule, who oversaw a clean sweep in all five civic bodies within his Kamptee assembly constituency.
Congress in Retreat, MVA Fails to Make Mark
The results laid bare the shrinking footprint of the opposition in one of Vidarbha's most politically symbolic districts. The Congress party managed to secure just one president post officially, with its candidate Madhav Charjan winning in Mohpa. One more post went to a Congress-backed independent. Parties allied under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) umbrella—the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP—failed to win a single president's post in the entire district.
Congress MP from Ramtek, Shyamkumar Barve, acknowledged the severe setback. "We accept the mandate of the people. We will introspect on our shortcomings and face future elections with new vigour," he stated. The party's losses were stark even in the home turfs of its senior leaders. In Kandri Kanhan, associated with Barve, the BJP candidate won decisively. In Wadi, the native village of district Congress President Ashwin Bais, the BJP candidate secured victory by a massive margin of nearly 9,000 votes.
Detailed Breakdown of the Results
Elections were held across 15 municipal councils and 12 nagar panchayats in Nagpur district. Polling was conducted on December 2, with voting in nine deferred wards held on December 20. Of the 15 municipal councils, the BJP won 11. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena retained Ramtek, while the Shetkari Kamgar Paksha won Katol. Butibori went to the Gondwana Gantantra Party, which had Congress and NCP(SP) support. In the 12 nagar panchayats, the BJP won an overwhelming 11, with only Parseoni going to the Shinde-led Sena.
BJP district President Sudhakar Kohale credited the landslide to the development initiatives led by Fadnavis, Gadkari, and Bawankule, coupled with robust organizational work under state party chief Ravindra Chavan. The Nagpur verdict serves as a powerful reaffirmation of the BJP's grassroots strength in urban local bodies and highlights the continuing decline of the Congress in the civic politics of Vidarbha.
