The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance has retained its supremacy over the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) by winning 110 seats. The alliance will get Independents’ support to control 114 seats, giving it a simple majority. The alliance had roped in the Dalit-dominated Republican Party of India (RPI), which won one seat.
The alliance not only weathered the anti-incumbency factor, but its prospects remained unaffected despite the division of votes of the Marathi Manoos between the saffron combine and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The latter, in fact, improved its tally to 28 from seven seats in 2007 polls.
The Sena-BJP-RPI combine is set to take control of the 227-member civic body, the richest in India with an annual budget of Rs 21,000 crore.
Even though the Sena emerged as the single-largest party by winning 77 seats, it was down by seven seats compared to its tally of 84 seats in 2007 elections.
The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance that played the “anti-communal” card suffered a drubbing. The Congress has won 51 seats and the NCP 14.
For the first time, the Congress has contested in an alliance with the NCP. The party fought 169 seats, leaving 58 to the NCP. However, the Congress’ efforts to calm down rebels did not work as a large number of seats were defeated due to internal fights.
For the NCP, it was an opportunity to increase its presence. But the party could not do much as it managed to maintain its tally of 14, which it had won in 2007 polls.
More From This Section
The Sena’s ally for the last two decades, the Bharatiya Janata Party did face challenges from rebels, but won 32 seats. The Republican Party of India, led by Ramdas Athavale who severed his two decade links with Congress-NCP after his defeat in 2009 parliamentary elections, won just one seat. But the party’s votes proved crucial for the saffron combine.
Nearly 24 independents and smaller parties have got elected, a large number of them rebels from the Congress and the NCP.
Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said that citizens of the megapolis would not tolerate any insult hurled at its president Bal Thackeray. “I thank the people for reposing faith in me and my party,” he said. “Today is a good day. Let me celebrate it. I am overwhelmed.”
On the Congress-NCP alliance, he said, “This is not a small victory. The Congress and NCP were united against us, yet we managed the win.”
MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who had contested 225 of the 227 seats, too failed. He blamed the low voter turnout for the result.