Nagpur witnessed a significant political upset on Friday as the Bahujan Samaj Party experienced a severe electoral defeat. The party managed to secure only a single seat in the municipal polls. This result marks a sharp decline from the ten seats it won in the previous elections.
Harshala Jaiswal's Victory Stands Alone
Harshala Jaiswal achieved her third consecutive win on a BSP ticket from Prabhag 7C. Her success, however, could not offset the broader collapse of the party's performance across the city.
A History of Stronger Performance
The BSP's presence in the Nagpur civic body has fluctuated over the years. In 2007, the party had four corporators. This number increased to twelve in 2012. By 2017, the BSP held ten seats, making it the third largest party in the municipal corporation.
The Shrinking Vote Bank Reality
Outward appearances suggested the BSP might repeat its past successes, given its dedicated voter base. A closer look at recent assembly polls, however, reveals a different and troubling trend for the party. The support base is clearly diminishing.
North Nagpur, once a stronghold where the party secured all ten of its previous corporators, tells a revealing story. The decline began to show in the 2014 assembly elections. In that poll, the BSP candidate garnered 55,000 votes and finished as the runner-up, capturing a 30% vote share. The latest results confirm this downward trajectory has continued, culminating in Friday's poor showing.
