The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has significantly expanded its civic influence in the Nagpur district of Maharashtra, securing decisive victories in three out of four local body elections. The party's strong performance came in the Saoner assembly constituency, though the Congress managed to prevent a complete sweep by retaining control of the Mohpa council.
BJP's Commanding Victory in Saoner and Kalmeshwar
In a stunning display of dominance, the BJP virtually swept the Saoner municipal council (nagar panchayat), winning 21 out of the 23 seats. The remaining two seats were secured by local independent parties. The Congress, notably, failed to win a single seat in the civic body of Saoner, which is the hometown of former five-time Congress MLA Sunil Kedar.
Following the electoral triumph, BJP's Sanjana Mangale was elected as the president of the Saoner nagar panchayat. This result consolidates the party's control over the area and further strengthens the position of BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh, who defeated Sunil Kedar in the last assembly election.
The party repeated its strong performance in the Kalmeshwar Municipal Council, emerging as the single largest party by winning 15 of the 21 seats. The Congress secured six seats. BJP's Avinash Makode was elected as the council president, marking the party's reclaiming of the top post.
Congress Finds Solace in Mohpa, Khapa Sees Split Verdict
The Congress party found some relief in the Mohpa municipal council, where it managed to retain power in a closely fought contest. In a nail-biting finish for the president's post, Congress candidate Madhav Varjan defeated BJP's Pravin Shrote by a narrow margin of 58 votes. In the overall seat tally, the BJP won 10 seats, the Congress secured 9, and one seat went to an Independent candidate.
The Khapa Municipal Council presented a hung house, with both the BJP and the Congress winning 10 seats each. However, the BJP gained the upper hand as its candidate, Piyush Burde, was elected as the council president, effectively giving the party control over the administration.
Political Implications and Strengthened Footprint
These civic poll results underscore the BJP's deepening organizational strength and voter connect in the Nagpur region, which is already considered a party stronghold. The sweeping victory in Saoner, in particular, signals a continued erosion of the Congress's traditional base following the assembly election defeat of its prominent local leader, Sunil Kedar.
The outcome in Kalmeshwar and Khapa further demonstrates the BJP's ability to convert assembly-level momentum into wins at the hyper-local civic level. While the Congress's hold on Mohpa prevents a total whitewash, the overall results point to a significantly strengthened civic footprint for the BJP in the district, setting the stage for future electoral battles.
