BJP sweeps Jalna civic polls; wins 41 out of 65 seats

The BJP swept the Jalna civic polls winning 41 out of 65 seats, marking the first time the party has won a majority in the city known for its steel re-rolling, seed and agro industries.

Among the more talked about victories from here is that of Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh. He won as an independent from electoral ward No. 13 defeating Raosaheb Dhoble of the BJP.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena was second with 12 wins. The polls here had turned into a prestige battle between Shiv Sena MLA Arjun Khotkar and his arch rival Kailash Gorantyal, who had joined the BJP from the Congress recently.

The Congress, which once dominated the municipal council here before it was upgraded to a municipal corporation,, suffered a major setback, managing to win only nine seats. The party contested the election without a clear local leadership following Gorantyal's exit, observers said.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) failed to open its account despite fielding contestants on 12 seats. The party's prospects were weakened after its district president Bhaskar Ambekar joined the Eknath Shinde faction.

Both NCP factions, under Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, were routed. The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, which contested 17 seats, failed to open its account.

The AIMIM, which contested 17 seats, won from two.

Political observers said the BJP's move to give tickets to four Muslims split the minority votes. Of the four, Mazhar Sayyed emerged victorious.

Prominent winners included Sangeeta Gorantyal and Akshya Gorantyal, wife and son, respectively, of Kailash Gorantyal, and Darshana Khotkar, daughter of MLA Arjun Khotkar. BJP leader Bhaskar Danve, cousin of former Union minister Raosaheb Danve, and his wife Sushila Danve were also elected.