The Congress party in Maharashtra has declared a significant improvement in its performance in the recent municipal council and nagar panchayat elections across the state. State Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal asserted that the party has secured 41 municipal council president posts and 1,006 councillor seats, bolstering its position as a key opposition force.
A Resurgent Opposition Performance
According to party leaders, the Congress has emerged as the third-largest party in these local body elections, trailing only the two main ruling parties—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant emphasized that the party's tally far exceeded that of other opposition groups, solidifying its status as the principal opposition party in Maharashtra. He specifically noted that the Congress secured more seats than the faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar.
While the State Election Commission is yet to release the official and comprehensive list of winners, the Congress stated it has compiled its own data based on results from across the state's divisions.
Campaign Efforts and Regional Breakdown
The electoral campaign was aggressively led by State Chief Harshvardhan Sapkal and senior leader Vijay Wadettiwar, with Sapkal holding approximately 65 meetings statewide. However, some within the party suggested that the results could have been even more favourable had more senior leaders actively participated in the campaigning efforts.
Sapkal provided a detailed regional breakdown of the party's victories:
- Nagpur division: 14 president posts, 340 councillor seats.
- Amravati division: 9 president posts, 236 councillor seats.
- Marathwada region: 5 president posts, 156 councillor seats.
- Western Maharashtra: 3 president posts, 47 councillor seats.
- North Maharashtra: 2 president posts, 47 councillor seats.
- Konkan division: 1 president post, 26 councillor seats.
Additionally, local fronts supported by the Congress won 7 municipal president posts and 154 councillor seats.
Ideology Over Power, A Springboard for Future Polls
In his statement, Sapkal credited the hard work of countless Congress workers for the outcome. He framed the results as a victory of public trust and ideology over financial muscle and administrative leverage, which he accused the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena of employing extensively.
"These results once again prove that trust outweighs money and ideology is more important than power," Sapkal said. He added that the performance was achieved under challenging circumstances and reaffirms the party's connection with the people.
Looking ahead, the state Congress chief expressed confidence that this success in the municipal council elections will serve as a vital source of energy and momentum for the party in the upcoming crucial municipal corporation elections, signaling a reinvigorated challenge to the ruling alliance in Maharashtra's urban local bodies.
