The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has solidified its position as the dominant political force in the Nashik division of Maharashtra, emerging as the single largest party in the recently concluded civic body elections. The results, declared on Sunday, revealed the BJP secured the maximum number of presidential posts across 45 municipal councils and 4 nagar panchayats in the division.
District-Wide Breakdown of Results
While the BJP bagged a total of 21 presidential posts, its performance was not uniform across all districts. The party drew a blank in Nandurbar district. However, Jalgaon district proved to be a strong bastion for the BJP, contributing eight seats to its tally. This was followed by seven wins in Ahilyanagar and three in Nashik district.
Shiv Sena secured the second position with 14 presidential seats, with six coming from Jalgaon and five from Nashik. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won six posts, three of which were from Nashik district alone. In the Nashik district specifically, where eleven presidential posts were contested, Shiv Sena bagged the highest number with five seats, while the NCP and BJP won three each.
Key Battles and Surprising Upsets
The election results delivered several stunning upsets, most notably in Bhagur and Sangamner. In Bhagur, the NCP managed to dethrone Shiv Sena, which had held office for an unbroken 25 years. The contest saw a direct fight where Mahayuti alliance partners turned rivals.
Shiv Sena, led by Vijay Karanjkar, fielded Anita Vijay Karanjkar for the council president's post. In response, the NCP and BJP joined hands, backing candidate Prerna Balkawde, who emerged victorious. "NCP MLA Saroj Ahire and the BJP expressed faith in me. The people of Bhagur, who wanted a change, voted me into office. I will ensure that together we all work hard for the development of the town," Balkawde stated amidst celebrations where supporters smeared her with gulal.
Another closely watched battle unfolded in Yeola, where the NCP and BJP alliance was pitted against a combine of Shiv Sena and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). The NCP-BJP alliance won the presidential post and also secured 14 seats, with the NCP alone winning eleven.
Congress Gains and Independent Highlights
The Congress party had reasons to celebrate as it won the Shrirampur council elections with a clear majority, securing the presidential post and 20 out of the 34 seats. In Ahilyanagar district, while the BJP won seven seats, the spotlight was stolen by the All India Forward Bloc. Supported by Congress leader and former revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat, the Forward Bloc achieved a landslide victory in one council, winning 27 out of 30 seats. Maithili Satyajeet Tambe, wife of an MLC, won the presidential seat.
In Jalgaon district, elections were held for 18 civic bodies. The BJP secured the president's post in eight, but faced a setback in Bhusawal. Here, BJP's Rajani Savkare, wife of state textile minister Sanjay Savkare, lost to NCP (SP) candidate Gayatri Bhangale. In Dhule district, the BJP won three of the four civic bodies, including ending the Congress's four-decade-long hold over the Shirpur municipal council.
In Nandurbar district, the NCP won two presidential posts in Taloda and Navapur. Shiv Sena won the Nandurbar Municipal Council presidency, while the Janata Vikas Aghadi took control of the Shahada Municipal Council. The results underscore the complex and shifting political alliances at the local level in Maharashtra.
