By IANS,
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance won control of the Aurangabad and Badlapur civic bodies while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) retained the Navi Mumbai civic body, the results for which were announced Monday.
But the Sena-BJP combine failed to wrest control of the Ambernath civic body where Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and a large number of independents are expected to play the role of kingmaker.
The Congress and the BJP put up a poor show in the four municipal elections held Sunday. Both parties barely managed to stay afloat, with only one seat going to Congress in Badlapur and BJP in Navi Mumbai.
The NCP has retained the Navi Mumbai municipality and the Shiv Sena-BJP Aurangabad and Badlapur. There was no clear winner in Ambernath, where the MNS and independents have emerged as a strong group.
NAVI MUMBAI: In the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), the NCP scored a hat-trick bagging 55 seats while its ally Congress got a mere 13.
From the opposition, the Shiv Sena got 16 seats and its ally BJP a single seat. Four independents won in the 89-strong house.
AURANGABAD: In the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, the Shiv Sena (30) and BJP (15) continued their unbroken reign of the past 25 years, winning for the sixth consecutive time.
The Congress-NCP and other allies jointly contested the elections. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan campaigned there in a bid to dislodge the SS-BJP.
The Congress finished with 19 seats, NCP 11 and MNS one seat. Independents and others got a whopping 23 seats in the 99-member house.
BADLAPUR: The Shiv Sena-BJP managed to retain the 34-member Badlapur Municipal Council (in Thane district) by bagging 12 and 7 seats respectively against the Congress’ single seat show and NCP’s 10 seats. The MNS got three seats while one seat went to an independent.
AMBERNATH: The Shiv Sena-BJP could not retain the 50-member Ambernath Municipal Council (also in Thane district). Though Sena emerged the single largest party with 16 seats, the BJP got only one seat.
The Congress got three seats, NCP nine and MNS six seats. Independents and others emerged as the scond largest group bagging 15 seats.
With no clear winner in Ambernath, the MNS and independents hold the key to the Sena-BJP’s prospects of returning to power in the civic body.