Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) Amid counting of votes in the local body polls on Sunday, Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan claimed his party had got a decisive mandate as voters had rejected the Opposition's
"fake narrative".
He claimed the Mahayuti had won more than 250 councils, nagar parishads and nagar panchayats out of 288, with BJP candidates securing 134 out of 236 council chief posts and over 3,000 corporator seats. The Mahayuti comprises the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
Addressing reporters and party workers at the BJP headquarters here, Chavan said the focus would now be on Mumbai, where civic polls will be held along with 28 other municipal corporations on January 15, with votes being counted the next day.
"The Opposition levelled all kinds of allegations during the campaign, but people saw through them. Uddhav Thackeray himself said he had nothing to offer to the people and that is why his party was rejected. His party could not even win council chairperson posts in double digits," Chavan claimed.
"Voters have rejected the Opposition's fake narrative in the council, nagar parishad and nagar panchayat polls. Now, Mumbaikars too would reject the opposition's narrative in the upcoming BMC polls.," he said.
Speaking on the Mumbai polls, he said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to replace all existing local trains with AC ones without increasing fares. The suburban rail network is considered the metropolis' lifeline, though it is also among the most crowded in the world.
The results show the benefits of the same party being in power at the Centre and in the state, Chavan asserted while hailing Fadnavis for touring the state extensively, holding rallies and interacting with party workers through online meetings.
"We salute his dedication and hard work. The outcome a clear signal of the state's direction. This is a solid mandate for progress and development. We respect the people's mandate and will meet the high expectations voters have from the BJP and its allies," he added.
In a separate interaction, senior BJP leader and state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule attributed the victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and the administrative efficiency of Chief Minister Fadnavis.
"For the first time, the BJP has secured such a large mandate in civic body polls," he said while congratulating Chavan and Mahayuti partners Shiv Sena and NCP.
On alliance dynamics, Bawankule said it was not feasible to contest all small council and nagar panchayat elections jointly.
"Candidates were fielded after discussions and there was no bitterness. The Congress remains our traditional opponent and it is shrinking further," the senior BJP leader said.
BJP leader and Sindhudurg guardian minister Nitesh Rane, meanwhile, struck a conciliatory note, stressing that development would be the priority now.
"Elections are over and there is no need to politicise anything further. Development will remain in focus," Rane told reporters.
Congratulating winners in Malvan, Kankavali, Sawantwadi and Vengurla, he said, "As guardian minister, I will address their demands and expectations without any bias. I assure them of full support. It is taxpayers' money and it must be used responsibly."
In Malvan and Kankavli civic polls, candidates backed by his elder brother and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane won.
Lauding BJP workers for their efforts in Malvan and Kankavali, Nitesh Rane said, "Our workers worked very hard and did not fall short anywhere. In a democracy, such efforts must be respected."
Responding to allegations of money power, Nitesh Rane said, "If huge money had been used, all candidates of my panel in Malvan would have won. People are wise and we should trust their choice. I need some time to understand what exactly went wrong."
He also acknowledged the impact of the campaign by his elder brother Nilesh Rane. "His rallies did make an impact and cannot be ignored. There were other factors too and we also made some mistakes. I respect the mandate of the people," the BJP minister added. PTI ND BNM
