MP local polls: In phase 2, BJP wins 2 mayor posts, loses 2 to Cong, 1 to rebel

Katni, the fifth seat, went to rebel BJP candidate Preeti Suri, who contested as an Independent and defeated the ruling party’s official nominee, Jyoti Dixit, by 5,287 votes.

Both phases combined, BJP has won nine of total 16 mayor posts, while Congress has won five. The other two went to AAP and Independent Suri. In 2014-15, BJP had won in all 16 municipal bodies.

Results of polls to 214 local bodies were announced on Wednesday — besides the five mayor seats, 40 municipalities and 169 Nagar Parishads, spread across 43 districts of MP.

The results of the first phase of 133 local bodies — 11 corporations, 36 municipalities and 86 councils — were announced on Sunday.

In Dewas, BJP’s mayor candidate Geeta Aggarwal defeated Congress’s Vinodini Vyas, while BJP’s Prahlad Patel won in Ratlam, defeating Mayank Singh Jat of Congress.

Congress’s Sharad Solanki defeated BJP’s Meena Jatav by 14,631 votes in the prestigious Morena seat, in Chambal region, considered a BJP stronghold and base of leaders such as Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar and state Home Minister Narottam Mishra.

This comes after BJP lost the mayoral polls in Gwalior, considered a strong base of Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, in results declared on Sunday.

In Morena, Congress’s Sharada Solanki defeated Meena Mukesh Jatav of the BJP.

Of 16 corporations with a total 884 corporators, BJP won 491 wards and Congress 274. The remaining 109 wards went to others. Out of 1,795 wards across 76 municipalities, the saffron party won 975 wards, and secured 2,000 out of 3,828 wards in 255 councils.

This puts the ruling party in a comfortable position to elect chairperson and establish its majority in 11 of 16 corporations, 50 out of 76 municipalities, and 150 out of 215 councils.

Both BJP and Congress celebrated the results.

Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath addresses a press conference after the party’s victory in the second phase of local bodies elections, at PCC headquarters in Bhopal. (PTI)

“Besides winning nine out of 16 mayoral elections, the BJP has got a clear majority in 185 out of 255 nagar parishads. The party is also forming its body in 46 other nagar parishads,” PTI quoted Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as saying.

“The BJP had never registered such a huge victory earlier. It’s historic,” Chouhan said.

Addressing the media in Bhopal, state Congress president Kamal Nath said this is the party’s best performance since 1999, when direct contests for mayoral polls began in the state. Pointing out that the Congress won two mayor posts each in 1999 and 2004, three in 2009, and none in 2014, Nath said: “This year the party has won five seats. The BJP won all seats in 2014 but lost seven this year and yet they are celebrating…”

Nath also said that while the exact voting percentage for Congress candidates is not known yet, the number of corporators and councillors from the party has increased.

Of the new entrants in the state elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 23 wards, while AIMIM secured three wards — all of them in riot-hit Khargone city.

Pointing out that AAP won 23 more wards on Wednesday, and now holds 40 wards across the state, AAP’s state unit chief, Pankaj Singh, said: “Our candidates lost 100 wards by a very narrow margin. This was the first time we had contested the local body elections (in Madhya Pradesh) and the results are encouraging with our limited resources. We will work harder for the Assembly elections next.”

Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM won three more wards Khargone, taking its tally to seven wards in local body polls. The party’s state in-charge, Sayyed Minhajuddin, said, “The results from Khargone, where we won three wards, are encouraging; the overall results are satisfactory. During our survey we had hoped to get more seats, but we had little time to prepare, as the party decided at the last moment to contest. It was also the first time we entered the poll fray in MP.”