PMC verdict: BJP wins 119 seats as rivals lose city leadership

The Shiv Sena (UBT), which contested the PMC elections in alliance with the Congress and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), could win only one seat. Its city unit chief Sanjay More failed to get elected. However, city Congress chief Arvind Shinde won his seat, continuing his family’s legacy in the civic body.

The MNS suffered a severe setback, failing to win a single seat, including the one contested by its city unit chief Sainath Babar, who had been a corporator in the previous term.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena contested the PMC elections independently but failed to open its account. Its city unit chief and former corporator Pramod Bhangire also lost. Bhangire had been a corporator in the previous five-year term and was the only former corporator to remain with Eknath Shinde after the split in the Shiv Sena. The party had 10 corporators in the previous body, all of whom — except Bhangire — had switched to the BJP. Some of them have now been elected as BJP corporators.

In contrast, the BJP’s list of 119 winners includes its city unit chief Dhiraj Ghate, who was re-elected for a second consecutive term.

Apart from the city unit chiefs, several senior leaders were also defeated, including former mayor and NCP candidate Datta Dhankawade, former mayor Kamal Vyavhare of the NCP(SP), former deputy mayor and Shiv Sena candidate Ulhas Bagul, and former leader of opposition and NCP candidate Dipali Dhumal.