Congress hopeful of political comeback despite blow to MVA in Maharashtra local body polls
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra urban local body election results are not unexpected, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party. However, the Congress has shown its political prowess in the polls, posing a minor challenge to the ruling alliance. Dalits, Muslims, and other socially weaker communities stood with the Congress in times of major crisis, and reposed their faith in Indias oldest political force. The success is credited to Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress Lok Sabha MP Pratibha Dhanorkar, and Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal. Of the total 34 nagar parishad president posts won by the Congress, eight seats were in Chandrapur district and three were in Buldhana district. Vishwajit Kadam was also able to retain his fort, but former MPCC president Nana Patole and Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh failed to retain the ground. In the urban local body polls, the BJP has bagged 120 nagar parishad president posts out of 288, while Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 56, and DCM Ajit Pawar-led NCP won 36. Congress has done better in the opposition alliance, winning 35 nagar parishad president posts. A senior Congress leader said the local body polls are not disappointing. We had no resources at all, and still, we were able to win the 34 nagar parishad president posts, through direct public vote. On the other hand, the BJP and its allies were allegedly distributing Rs 5000 per vote, even when they had the assistance of the state and election commission machinery at their doorstep, he said. He added, Some of the Congress' leaders were not contesting as a cohesive and united force, but instead fighting separate battles. Despite all these odds, we were able to win a number of seats close to the third partner of Mahayuti, Ajit Pawar-led NCP. It means there are better hopes in the future. The Congress leader further said, If we choose the right candidates and resources, things will definitely be different and better in state politics. The local body poll is a green shoot for us. Now, we have to nurture and cultivate it into a green patch and tend to the garden. He also added that this election result has given strong hopes and positivity to fight the long battle against the BJP.
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