Mumbai:
The Shiv Sena-BJP's 17-year-old reign over Maximum City got another extension of five years from the people of Mumbai today. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine won the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC, India's richest civic body with an annual budget of 21,000 crore.
"This is a victory for the people of Mumbai. I've forgiven those who tried to destroy us," said Uddhav Thackeray, Executive President, Shiv Sena.
Fighting an incumbency wave, a new alliance of Congress-NCP, and the rising popularity of Raj Thackeray - the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray - the saffron alliance defied all odds, and emerged with the maximum number of seats.
The Sena, however, suffered huge losses in its traditional strongholds of Dadar and Lalbaug. It was Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) that took the Shiv Sena's thunder away. The MNS not only ate into the Marathi vote bank of the Shiv Sena, it also fed on the Congress vote bank, reducing both their numbers. The MNS won 27 seats in Mumbai, compared to just seven in 2007.
"Every election teaches me something... We've lost narrowly in several wards," said Raj Thackeray.
The Shiv Sena, which grabbed 84 seats in 2007, managed to retain 75 seats this time. The BJP had a better performance from last time with numbers going to 32 against 28 in 2007.
For the first time ever, the Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP fought this election together. But with the BJP and Sena returning to power, the Congress conceded defeat earlier in the evening. The Congress won 50 seats while NCP could manage only 14. After Congress' defeat in Mumbai, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan congratulated Uddhav Thackeray, adding, "We were confident about our win in Mumbai, but that didn't happen. We need to introspect."
Off camera, Congress sources blame the alliance with the NCP saying in Mumbai the NCP voter never transfers his vote to the Congress party. They also agreed that infighting within the party cost them heavily. But what they fear most is that this was a verdict not so much for the Sena-BJP, but more against the state government.
The MNS was tipped to be the dark horse, but the party has delivered not just in Mumbai but also in Pune and Nashik.
The NCP consolidated its position in Pune, the Congress in Amravati, and the BJP in Nagpur.
"This is a victory for the people of Mumbai. I've forgiven those who tried to destroy us," said Uddhav Thackeray, Executive President, Shiv Sena.
Fighting an incumbency wave, a new alliance of Congress-NCP, and the rising popularity of Raj Thackeray - the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray - the saffron alliance defied all odds, and emerged with the maximum number of seats.
The Sena, however, suffered huge losses in its traditional strongholds of Dadar and Lalbaug. It was Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) that took the Shiv Sena's thunder away. The MNS not only ate into the Marathi vote bank of the Shiv Sena, it also fed on the Congress vote bank, reducing both their numbers. The MNS won 27 seats in Mumbai, compared to just seven in 2007.
"Every election teaches me something... We've lost narrowly in several wards," said Raj Thackeray.
The Shiv Sena, which grabbed 84 seats in 2007, managed to retain 75 seats this time. The BJP had a better performance from last time with numbers going to 32 against 28 in 2007.
For the first time ever, the Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP fought this election together. But with the BJP and Sena returning to power, the Congress conceded defeat earlier in the evening. The Congress won 50 seats while NCP could manage only 14. After Congress' defeat in Mumbai, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan congratulated Uddhav Thackeray, adding, "We were confident about our win in Mumbai, but that didn't happen. We need to introspect."
Off camera, Congress sources blame the alliance with the NCP saying in Mumbai the NCP voter never transfers his vote to the Congress party. They also agreed that infighting within the party cost them heavily. But what they fear most is that this was a verdict not so much for the Sena-BJP, but more against the state government.
The MNS was tipped to be the dark horse, but the party has delivered not just in Mumbai but also in Pune and Nashik.
The NCP consolidated its position in Pune, the Congress in Amravati, and the BJP in Nagpur.
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