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Vaibhav Purandare in Mumbai
The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party combine is heading for a clear majority in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, having bagged 107 seats out of the 157 declared so far.
The Sena has grabbed 82 seats so far, while the BJP has won 25. The Congress has managed to get 35 seats, while Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party has emerged a poor fourth with only 8 seats. The Samajwadi Party has won 3 seats.
Counting for the 227 seats to the BMC, elections to which were held on February 10, began early on Monday morning. Results of 60 seats are as yet unavailable. They are expected to be out by early Tuesday morning.
Thanks to the divide between the Congress and NCP, the Sena is set to retain its hold on the prestigious corporation (it had 103 seats in the earlier configuration) and has maintained total control of its strongholds of Girgaum, Lalbaug-Parel, Dadar-Mahim and north Mumbai. The BJP, too, seems to be in a position to better its performance (it had 27 sitting corporators).
Though the Sunil Dutt factor has worked for Congress in Bandra and Santacruz (west), its influence seems to have waned in Vile Parle, for the Sena-BJP has done well there.
The saffron combine's performance in Andheri, Jogeshwari, Goregaon, Malad and Borivili has been excellent.
The one setback for Sena is the victory of Tukaram Kate, rebel candidate from Deonar.
The Congress has done well in Colaba, Cuffe Parade and Nariman Point in south Mumbai and Bandra and Santa Cruz, apart from the odd victories in other places.
The biggest setback, though, has been for Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who addressed over 80 rallies in Mumbai to mould public opinion for the NCP.
The NCP has had to be content with only 8 seats so far, though Bhujbal had claimed that the real fight this time would be between the Sena-BJP and NCP.
"Had the Congress and NCP joined hands to fight these polls, the results would have been different," Bhujbal said at a press conference on Monday.
In neighbouring Thane too, the Sena is leading with 14 seats in its kitty. The BJP has 9 seats, the NCP 9, Congress 4, the Republican Party of India 1. Four independents have also won from Thane.
In Ulhasnagar, though, the NCP, with Pappu Kalani as the leader of the pack, has already won 22 out of 33 seats.
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