Mahayuti tightens grip on rural Maharashtra with Zilla Parishad sweep

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. FILE PIC

After sweeping the municipal councils and municipal corporations, the Mahayuti has now tightened its grip on the Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis.

The BJP has emerged as the "Mota Bhau" (elder brother) of Maharashtra's triple-engine sarkar. By securing the highest numbers and smashing its own 2017 record, the BJP has once again shown who is driving the Mahayuti's political engine from the front. With the BJP securing victories in seven of the total 12 Zilla Parishads, the Mahayuti is set to form the ruling majority, further strengthening its hold on rural Maharashtra.

CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "People have shown trust in the Mahayuti government. First it was the municipal councils, then the municipal corporations, and now the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls. In all these elections, the BJP has broken all its own records of 2017," he added.

Following the tragic incident involving NCP leader Ajit Pawar's plane crash, Fadnavis had called off his election rallies and decided not to campaign for the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction also kept a low profile during the campaign. Despite this, the Mahayuti delivered a peak performance, while opposition parties were reduced to negligible numbers.

Reacting to the opposition's poor performance, Fadnavis said the MVA remained visible mainly on television and failed to stay connected with people. Polling for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in 12 districts of Maharashtra began Saturday. A total of 7438 candidates contested 731 Zilla Parishad and 1462 Panchayat Samiti seats.

DCM's 1st meet

Sunetra Pawar, the newly elected deputy chief minister, is likely to attend her first state cabinet meeting scheduled in Mantralaya on Tuesday. She will also occupy the Dy CM's office, and this will be her first visit to Mantralaya after taking the oath on January 31. She is the first woman to hold the post of deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.

12
No of Zilla Parishads that went to polls