Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) appears all set for a hung house as no party or combine appears to be in a position to secure a clear majority.
Of the total of 227 seats, results have been declared for 209 seats. The ruling Shiv Sena-BJP-RPI combine may end up winning the maximum number of seats as the Shiv Sena has won 65, BJP 32 and RPI one and they are ahead in six more seats, but their performance is well short of half way mark of 114 seats required to retain control of India’s richest municipal body.
The Congress has won 44 seats, its ally NCP has got 18. The MNS has emerged victorious in 27 seats; while others have bagged 22 seats.
Of the 18 seats, for which counting is underway, Shiv Sena is ahead in 4 seats and Congress is wining in four. Raj Thackeray’s MNS is ahead in one seat, RPI in 2 seats, while others are marching towards victory in six seats – till 3.20 pm when last updates came in.
There are a total of 227 seats in BMC for which 2232 candidates are in the fray, counting began at 9 am on Friday. The Sena-BJP combine needs to win 114 seats to retain control.
Incumbent Mayor of Mumbai, Shradha Jadhav, has won her seat.
Other prominent winners
Shiv Sena: Suresh Bagalkar, Sanjay Ghaadi, Shubdha Patankar, Vaibhavi Chavan and Manjari Parab, Milind Vaid, Pramod Sawant, Ganesh Sankap, Trishna Viswasrao, Rahul Yelwale and Alka Doke
Congress: Sunanda Lokare, Seema Mahulkar, Pallavi Mungekar, Shivanand Shetty, Ravi Raja, Sagar Singh Thakur, Sunil More, Nayan Seth, gyanraj Nikam and Lalita Yadav
MNS: Prakash Derkar, Suresh Awale, Mangal Kadam
NCP: Chandan Sharma
BJP: Manoj Kotak, Mahant Chaubey and Rajshri Shivadkar
The Shiv Sena had contesting on 135 seats and BJP on 63. On the other hand Congress had fielded candidates on 170 seats and its alliance partner NCP on 57 seats. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray s was the fray for the second time with 223 candidates, while BSP staked claims on 133 seats, SP (115), Communist Party (16), CPM (5), Janata Dal (Secular) (13), All India Forward Block (1), Lok Janshakti Party (9), Rashtriya Janata Dal (6), Janata Dal United (5).
The polling was held yesterday in Mumbai along with in nine other municipal bodies across the state.
Mumbai marked a turnout of only 45 percent; however, a top civic official said that the voter percentage has gone up by three percent as compared to 2007.
Billed as a mini-Assembly election, the polls are not just a test for Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav Thackeray but is also a pointer of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan’s strength in state politics.
While the Sena is desperately trying to extend its 16-year rule in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for another five years in alliance with BJP and Ramdas Athavale’s RPI, the Congress has stitched up an alliance with NCP for the first time for the civic body polls.
