Congress sweeps Latur civic body polls with 43 seats; BJP leader's comments on ex-CM backfire

The Congress won elections to the Latur Municipal Corporation (LMC) in central Maharashtra on Friday, bagging a clear majority with 43 seats in the 70-member body, leaving the BJP a distant second with 22 seats.

Local political observers believe Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan's controversial remarks on Congress stalwart and late Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who hailed from Latur, days before polling consolidated votes in favour of the Grand Old Party.

The Congress secured 43 seats, followed by the BJP (22), Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (4) and the Nationalist Congress Party (1), according to elections officials.

Voting for the LMC was held on Thursday and counting was completed on Friday afternoon.

Addressing BJP workers at a poll campaign rally here, Chavan said memories of late Vilasrao Deshmukh, a two-time CM and a popular politician from the Marathwada region, would be "wiped out" from his hometown Latur.

Chavan's remarks, for which he later apologised, had drawn sharp criticism from citizens and political parties across the state.

Of the five mayors since the corporation's formation in 2011, four were in the fray this time and two of them won.

Congress's first mayor of Latur, Smita Khanapure, suffered a setback, losing to BJP spokesperson Prerana Honrao in Ward No. 15.

Another former mayor from the party, Vikrant Gojamgunde, who quit the Congress ahead of civic polls and joined the NCP, won from Ward No. 5 with a 4,729-vote margin.

Former mayor from the Congress, Deepak Sul, retained his influence by winning Ward No. 10 with 5,451 votes.

Former BJP mayor Suresh Pawar, contesting from Ward No. 6 on a Shiv Sena ticket, lost to the BJP candidate.

In the last LMC polls in 2017, the BJP won 36 seats with the Congress coming a close second with victory in 33 wards.