The ruling tripartite ‘Mahayuti’ parties bested the Opposition three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Maharashtra gram panchayat (GP) polls, with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday stating that the results were clear proof of the faith displayed by the State’s electorate in the ruling government.
While the complete results of polling in 2,359 GPs across the State were still to be declared, the ruling BJP reigned supreme, bagging more than 600 GPs.
The saffron party’s partner in the ‘Mahayuti’ — the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction — won in nearly 400 gram panchayats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena group secured over 300 GPs.
In a major upset for his uncle Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction following the party’s split in July, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s NCP group dominated the gram panchayats in the Baramati constituency, winning 13 of the 15 GPs in the Pawar clan’s ancestral home of Katewadi, while snaring 27 of the 31 GPs in Baramati, thus proving Mr. Ajit Pawar’s hold over the rural constituents.
The three ruling parties were said to have posted victories on more than 1,350 gram panchayats collectively, while the tripartite Opposition MVA (of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, the Congress, and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena UBT faction) had managed to win a little over 500 GPs. Counting for the remaining GPs is still underway.
Mr. Shinde said that the ruling government had received an overwhelming mandate from the electorate due to the large number of developmental projects being undertaken in Maharashtra by both the State and Central governments.
“These projects had been halted by the erstwhile MVA government [led by Uddhav Thackeray]. Moreover, the people have rejected those who have betrayed Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideals,” Mr. Shinde said, taking a jibe at Mr. Thackeray.
While gram panchayat elections are not fought on any party symbol, the results are considered an indicator of the mood in the rural hinterlands.
Mr. Shinde’s son, MP Shrikant Shinde, said the results were “a slap on the face of the Opposition MVA”, and a major indicator of the trends for the forthoming Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls.
The prestige of several tall leaders has been dented, including MLA Rohit Pawar of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction, and estranged BJP leader Pankaja Munde.
While Mr. Rohit Pawar’s nemesis, the BJP’s Ram Shinde, reportedly won a number of GPs by defeating Mr. Pawar’s candidates in Karjat-Jamkhed in Ahmednagar, Ms. Munde’s candidates were trounced by those of her cousin, NCP (Ajit Pawar) faction leader and Minister Dhananjay Munde in Parli in Beed district.
However, the MVA challenged the BJP’s claims of having won the maximum number of GPs, with Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut stating that as gram panchayat polls were not fought on any party symbol, everybody could claim that their party had triumphed.
