BMC Polls: Shiv Sena’s lead fails to translate into a win

With early trends suggesting a lead for Shiv Sena in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the party members had already begun celebrating. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) spirit was equally undeterred with BJP party members also celebrating what they assumed would be their win. The estranged allies who broke ties before the BMC elections have left Mumbaikars wondering who would actually control the civic body after the Sena’s 20-year reign.

With the BJP giving a stiff competition to Sena, the final tally stood at 81 and 84 respectively with none of them close to the 114 for majority. Congress faced a massive drubbing with 31 seats. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had to be satisfied with paltry numbers.

Meanwhile, the BJP has also claimed support from four corporators.

BJP’s Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar declares party’s win on 81 seats and claims support of 4 other corporators

The party is also leading in Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Ulhasnagar, Pimpri Chinchwad, Solapur, Amravati and Akola civic bodies.

Though the BJP won twice as many seats as it had in the 2012 BMC elections, many party leaders who had hoped for an absolute majority are disappointed with the results. Pankaja Munde, Minister of Women and Child Development offered to resign after a poor show of the party in Parli, her assembly constituency.

The results came as a big blow to Congress with the party failing to even reach the halfway mark. Consequentially, Sanjay Nirupam, Congress’ Mumbai chief also offered to resign, citing infighting in the party as the reason.

All eyes will now be on Mumbai to see who would take over the largest municipal corporation of the country after Sena put an end to the possibilities of a post poll alliance with the BJP.

At this rate, one imagines the Sena’s message to the BJP might look a little like this: