Maharashtra civic body elections: BJP retains top position in final phase of council polls

Mumbai: BJP on Monday bagged 100 seats in the last phase of municipal council polls in Maharashtra for 244 seats and secured seven posts of Municipal Council President.This takes the ruling party's tally at the end of fourth and final phase of elections to 1190 councillors and 71 municipal council presidents, retaining overall top position. The polling for last phase of Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat elections took place on Sunday across 11 local bodies in Nagpur and Gondia districts.[caption id="attachment_3184824" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Representational image. AFP[/caption]These 11 municipal councils were: Kamthi, Umred, Katol, Kalameshwar, Mohpa, Ramtek, Narkhed, Khapa and Saoner in Nagpur district, and Tirora and Gondia in Gondia district.As many as 92 candidates were in the fray for 11 Municipal Council President posts, and 1190 candidates for 244 seats of councillors in these two districts.An average 67.36 per cent voter turnout was registered.Congress bagged 58 seats and won two council president posts. The party finished second overall, with 952 seats and 34 council presidents, at the end of final phase. NCP won 26 councillor seats and finished with 812 seats in total. The party also won 22 council president posts. It did not win any president's post in the fourth phase.Shiv Sena which won 598 seats in three phases, won another 14 seats in the fourth phase finishing with 612 councillors. The party won 26 council president posts. It did not win a single council president seat in the last phase.MIM won a seat in Kamptee, while 18 seats in Katol were secured by 'Vidarbha Maza' party and four by PWP. In Saoner, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha won three seats.BJP won president's posts in Khapa, Saoner, Gondia and Tirora, Umred, Kalameshwar and Ramtek. Congress won the president's seat in Kamptee and Mohapa. Vidarbha Maza won Katol council president's seat. Narkhed council president's seat went to Peoples Republican Party Nagar Vikas Agadhi.