Lotus in Deshmukhs' Latur gives CM Fadnavis reason to smile

MUMBAI: The BJP continued its march in the state at the expense of the Congress, winning a clear majority in the municipal corporation election in Marathwada’s Latur on Friday. In Parbhani, another Marathwada city, the Congress wrested control from the NCP, while Chandrapur in Vidarbha saw a BJP victory.
In Latur, former chief minister and late Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh’s hometown, the BJP won 36 of the 70 seats.The Congress bagged only 33 seats despite Deshmukh’s sons campaigning. In the 2012 election, the BJP had not won a single seat in Latur while the Congress had bagged 49, the NCP 13 and the Shiv Sena six.
In this February’s polls to 10 corporations, the BJP had pushed the Congress to single-digit figures in many cities.
Last month, the BJP won the post of president in 10 of 25 zilla parishads.
The outcome of the Latur Municipal Corporation election is being viewed as the biggest setback ever for the family of Vilasrao Deshmukh, which controlled local politics for decades, and a major victory for chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Shiv Sena was also on the back foot in Latur, plunging to zero from six seats. The MNS, too, was unable to open its account.
The Congress was demolished even in the zilla parishad election last month. Deshmukh’s legislator son Amit and actor son Riteish had both campaigned in the civic polls, but that too did not help.
In Vidarbha, the BJP retained control over Chandrapur, hometown of finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar. It secured 36 seats out of 66 against 12 won by the Congress and two each by the NCP, the Shiv Sena and the MNS. The BSP won eight seats.
The BJP failed to gain control of the Parbhani Municipal Corporation, winning only eight of the 65 seats. The Congress won 31 seats, the NCP 18 and the Shiv Sena, six.
The Latur victory came as another feather in the cap for Fadnavis, since under his leadership the party made massive inroads in Marathwada. He has focused on drought-prone Latur, Parbhani and Beed for long. When Latur faced a law and order problem following the worst-ever drinking water shortage in recent memory, Fadnavis drafted a scheme to move water from Sangli to Latur by train. He did so by tapping the railway network with the help of Union minister Suresh Prabhu as well as all the state departments. “I am committed to making not only Marathwada but the entire state drought-free,’’ Fadnavis said.
Latur guardian minister Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar said the people had voted for development and that it was a foregone conclusion that the Congress would lose.
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