BJP combine, MVA both claim max gain in rural polls

MUMBAI: Election results of 1,165 gram panchayats in 17 districts across the state were marked by claims and counter claims by the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress on one side and the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led faction of Sena on the other.
These are the first elections to rural bodies since Shinde took over as the CM on June 30, 2022.
BJP leader and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has congratulated party BJP workers for securing control over the highest number of gram panchayats, while Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Nana Patole claimed that it was the MVA which had captured the maximum number of gram panchayats.
“BJP’s claims are misleading. Congress performance was impressive. In the past too, it had won more gram panchayats than BJP,’’ Patole said.
As per data released by BJP, of 1,141 gram panchayats, while results have been declared in 946, BJP has won in 397, Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction 81, Thackeray’s faction 87, Congress 104, NCP 108, CPI 57, independents 95 and others 17.
The Thackeray faction of Sena has claimed that the MVA has gained control over 781 panchayats, while BJP and Shinde faction together have won 361 and others 23. NCP, it claimed, has won 287, BJP 264, Congress 251, Thackeray faction 243 and Shinde faction 97.