Maharashtra civic polls: BJP takes lead in Pune bastion of Ajit and Sharad Pawar
Pune (PTI): The BJP has surged ahead of the NCP-NCP (SP) combine, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar, in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad corporations, according to trends and results of the civic elections so far on Friday.
The BJP has won 29 electoral wards and is leading in 43 others in Pune, as per the data shared by the election department of the civic body.
The Nationalist Congress Party and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) are a distant second, winning three and two seats, respectively, so far, in the 165-member Pune civic body. The trends show the NCP is leading in seven wards, and the NCP (SP) in one ward.
In the 128-member Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body, the BJP is leading in 81 seats, while the NCP is ahead in 36.
Despite being an ally of the BJP in the ruling Mahayuti, the NCP contested civic elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in alliance with the NCP (SP), two years after the bitter break-up.
The Congress has won three seats and is leading in nine in PMC, as per the data.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which contested the polls in alliance with the Congress, yet to open its account, similar to Shiv Sena, headed by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, which contested the elections without allying with BJP.
The BJP had single-handedly held power in the previous five-year terms from 2017 to 2022 in Pune and PCMC civic bodies, after which the Administrator had control of the civic body.
The BJP is also leading in the Kolhapur, Satara, Solapur, and Sangli civic bodies in the western Maharashtra region.
The poll campaign in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad was marked by sharp exchanges between Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and the BJP.
Ajit Pawar had targeted the local BJP leadership over the alleged irregularities in the functioning of the two civic bodies.
In the 102-member Solapur municipal corporation, the BJP is leading in 60 electoral wards, according to trends available till noon.
In the 81-member Kolhapur civic body, Mahayuti partners- the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the NCP- are leading in 25 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is ahead in 21 civic wards.
Elections to the 29 municipal corporations were held on January 15 after a gap of several years, with terms of most of them having ended between 2020 and 2023.
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Voting begins for Assam's 126 assembly seats
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Guwahati (PTI): Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies began on Thursday to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates, officials said.
In the high-stakes election, the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in office, while the Congress seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016.
Polling, being held in a single phase, began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Long queues of voters were seen outside polling stations from early morning.
An electorate of 2.50 crore, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, can exercise their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across the state.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Several cabinet ministers, including the AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and the BPF’s Charan Boro are also in the fray.
The Congress has the highest of 99 contestants, followed by the BJP (90), AIUDF (30), NDA allies AGP (26) and BPF (11).
Opposition alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2. Outside the two coalitions, the AAP is contesting in 18 seats, UPPL in 18, TMC 22, JMM 16 and there are 258 independents.
The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and CPI(ML).
The counting of votes is scheduled on May 4.
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