Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC. File pic
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC on Sunday dismissed the opposition's remarks on the outcome of the local body elections in Maharashtra, saying they believed only in "a set match", while the Mahayuti's victory was the result of grassroots work and development politics.
"They believe in a set match only. We who work on the ground. The politics of development is being done under the leadership of CM Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde ji," Shaina NC said while reacting to the poll results.
Her remarks came after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, which also comprises the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), swept the elections to 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state, winning 207 posts of presidents of local bodies. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was restricted to a collective tally of just 44 in the Maharashtra local body elections.
The final figures were shared by the state election commission (SEC) late on Sunday night. According to SEC, the BJP emerged on top by winning 117 posts of municipal presidents, followed by the Shiv Sena with 53 and the NCP with 37. Among the opposition parties, the Congress secured 28 posts, the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) seven, and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) nine.
Other parties registered with SEC bagged four seats, while 28 posts of municipal presidents went to unrecognised registered parties.
Independents won five seats, the poll body said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, asked his party workers to ensure the Mahayuti's victory in the upcoming Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation polls scheduled for January 15, cautioning them against complacency.
Asserting that the Shiv Sena had won more seats than the combined total of MVA in the local body polls, Shinde said, "Everyone must work unitedly. The Mahayuti flag must be hoisted on the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation."
He was speaking at a party event in Thane where several workers and leaders from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) joined the Shiv Sena.
Highlighting his tenure as chief minister, Shinde said he had taken major decisions related to City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) housing, floor space index (FSI) enhancement, removal of toll plazas, road and bridge projects, the Navi Mumbai International Airport and the âThird Mumbai' growth centre.
(With PTI inputs)
