In a major jolt to the Nationalist Congress Party, Congress has won the Sangli Municipal Corporation elections with absolute majority. The Sangli Municipal Corporation was ruled by the NCP for the last five years, which in an embarrassing defeat won only 17 seats. The Congress got a thumping majority with 40 seats out of the total 78 seats in the corporation.
The Sangli corporation elections are significant in the context of the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections next year. Senior leaders from both the Congress and NCP reached a new low while criticising each other during the election campaign.
The Shiv Sena-BJP combine got together to form a mega alliance with the help member of Parliament Raju Shetty-led Swabhimani Shetkari Party (SSP), but failed to win sufficient seats. The alliance secured just nine seats. However, the Raj Thackeray-led MNS got one seat for the very first time in the Sangli Municipal Corporation.
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LS polls: Cong wants to ‘go alone’ in maha
AGE CORRESPONDENT
mumbai, July 8
After the victory in the Sangli municipal elections, the clamour within the Congress to go it alone in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is growing. The All India Congress Committee secretary and co-incharge of Maharashtra Syoraj Walmiki confirmed this on Monday. Mr Walmiki also said that the party high command would be informed about the sentiment in the party’s state unit after taking feedback from all.
“During my stay in Mumbai I had discussions with senior leaders and many party workers. The common sentiment shared by all of them was to fight the general elections on our own. They believe that this would send a good message to the common public,” Mr Syoraj Walmiki said while talking to reporters.
Mr Walmiki, however, clarified that the final decision would rest with the party high command and the party workers would not challenge any decision taken by the Centre.