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BJP seeks to expand footprint in Maharashtra local polls, looks to edge out rivals and allies

MUMBAI: After securing a majority in the recent Assembly elections, the BJP is looking to consolidate its dominance in Maharashtra by winning as many seats as possible in the upcoming local body polls. Elections to 42 Nagar Panchayats and 246 Nagar Parishads will be held on December 2, with counting on December 3. Even before the results are out, the BJP has begun projecting early gains. Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan claimed that 100 party councillors have already been elected unopposed, including 41 from western Maharashtra, 49 from North Maharashtra and the rest from the Konkan and Marathwada regions. He also said several BJP-backed presidents of Nagar Parishads and Nagar Panchayats have been elected unopposed. A political observer said the BJP is treating the local body polls as a crucial step to reinforce its dominance in Maharashtra. The party wants to win as many councillor and president posts in Nagar Panchayats and Nagar Parishads as possible to consolidate its hold at the grassroots, the observer noted. These elections, he said, give the BJP an opportunity to expand its organisational base in regions where it has traditionally been weak and to chart a roadmap for the 2029 Assembly polls. Emerging as the single largest force in local bodies would also send a message to its alliance partners to accept the BJPs big brother role by ceding political space. The BJP is not just eyeing the Opposition space; it is also seeking to grow at the expense of its own allies, he added. Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Patil, however, accused the BJP of using pressure tactics. He alleged that while the BJP often invokes jungle raj in Bihar, it is using the same playbook in Maharashtra to threaten people and steal the mandate.