Setting a new political benchmark for itself, the Bharatiya Janata Party made massive gains in elections to major municipal corporations in Maharashtra on Friday. In the closely-fought Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the BJP bagged 82 out of 227 seats, finishing only second to the Shiv Sena, which managed to retain its control over 84 wards.
The Congress, faced with yet another rout, won only 31 seats in Asia’s richest municipal corporation. Blaming inner-party rifts for his party’s Mumbai debacle, senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam later offered to resign.
In the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stronghold of Pune, the Sharad Pawar-led party was reduced to a mere 44 wards against the BJP's 77 seats.
In Nagpur and the (MNS-stronghold) Nashik municipal corporations, the BJP rode to victory, winning 48 and 51 seats respectively.
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
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