BJP candidates won the post of Zilla Parishad (ZP) president in 10 of the 25 districts where elections were held today, with NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena emerging winners on the rest.
At some places, Congress and Shiv Sena, otherwise political rivals, joined hands to get their nominees elected to ZP posts.
These 25 ZPs, spread across Maharashtra, went to polls last month to elect their members with BJP gaining ground among rural voters and winning most of the seats on offer.
Elections for the post of ZP president were held today. BJP nominees bagged ZP president's post at 10 ZPs, while NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena won 5 each with local permutations and combinations playing a key role in the polls.
Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve suffered a setback in his home turf Jalna. Despite BJP emerging as the single largest party with 22 seats, Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP came together to deny the top post to the BJP. Shiv Sena bagged the top ZP position, while NCP got the post of vice president (VP).
In Beed, the home district of women and Child welfare minister Pankaja Munde, BJP won the president post while its ally Shiv Sangram bagged the VP post with help from a section of NCP members.
NCP had emerged as the single largest party in Beed.
Pankaja's estranged cousin and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde is NCP's face in Beed.
NCP won president and VP's posts in Osmanabad.
In Aurangabad and Nashik, Shiv Sena and Congress joined hands to win the president and VP posts, respectively.
In Solapur, even though NCP was the single largest party with 23 members, BJP bagged the president's post.
In revenue minister Chandrakant Patil's home district Kolhapur, BJP won the post of president, while Shiv Sena bagged the VP's post.
In Yavatmal, Congress won the president's post while BJP got the office of VP. In Buldhana, BJP bagged the president's post while the VP will be from NCP.
In Ahmednagar and Nanded, Congress and NCP won the posts of president and VP, respectively.
NCP bagged both president and VP positions in Satara and Pune, while BJP got both the posts in Latur, Wardha and Chandrapur ZPs, where they had majority on their own.
BJP also won president's post in Sangli district while VP will be from the Shiv Sena.
NCP got both posts in Parbhani since it was the single largest party. The Sharad Pawar-led party also bagged the president's post in Raiga ZP while PWP got VP's post.
Gadchiroli ZP president post went to BJP.
Sindhudurg saw Congress winning both the posts and same was the case with Shiv Sena in Ratnagiri.
In Jalgaon, BJP won both the posts. In Amravati, Congress won president's post and VP will be from Sena. In Hingoli, the top post went to Shiv Sena and the no. 2 position to Congress.
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Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis
congratulated party workers and leaders for BJP winning the maximum number of ZP president's post.
"And BJP is No 1 again! 10 ZP Presidents (out of 25); 8 VPs are from BJP and allies," Fadnavis tweeted.
He also congratulated state party chief Danve for the success.
ZPs, or district councils, look after local governance in rural areas. Till the last month's elections, Congress and NCP were dominant forces in rural politics of the state.
BJP's success in ZP polls comes after the party's spectacular show in the polls held in urban local bodies. The saffron outfit won eight of the 10 municipal corporations where elections were held on February 21.
In Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the country's largest civic body, it came a creditable second, winning 82 seats, just two less than Shiv Sena's tally, in the 227-member House.
