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Journalism of Courage
After a BJP leader and five members of his family were defeated in the municipal council polls in Loha town of Nanded, the Congress said Sunday that voters had given a befitting reply to the saffron party’s “parivarvad politics.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party fielded Gajanan Suryawanshi for the Loha mayoral post. His wife, Godavari; brother Sachin Suryawanshi; sister-in-law Supriya Suryavanshi; brother-in-law Yuvraj Waghmare; and nephew’s wife Reena Vyavahare were fielded in different wards of Loha town.
The defeat of the six is also being seen as a setback for former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who led the BJP’s campaign in the civic polls. The BJP refused to ask its candidates to withdraw from the fray despite criticism from the Maha Vikas Aghadi over its dynastic politics.
“Voters have rejected the BJP’s nepotism. No matter who it fielded for campaigning, the voters did not care. They gave the BJP a taste of its own medicine. What is shocking is that despite widespread criticism, the BJP refused to take corrective steps and persisted with the relatives,” said Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari.
”The BJP has been accusing Congress of playing dynastic politics. It played the parivarvad card in Nanded, brazenly and blatantly. But the people of Loha have rejected the BJP in a big way,” Tiwari added.
Considered the bastion of Nationalist Congress Party MLA Pratap Patil Chikhlikar, the Loha Municipal Council saw a triangular contest between the BJP, NCP, and the Congress.
The post of Loha Municipal Council was won by Sharad Pawar, a candidate belonging to Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
