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Nanded poll defeat: BJP tries to zero in on reasons

In the 2012 municipal corporation elections, the Congress had won 41, BJP 2, NCP 10, MIM 11, Shiv Sena 14, independent 1 and others 2 seats. The three regional parties, Shiv Sena, NCP and MIM, faced a complete rout this time around.

Nanded Municipal Bypoll, Nanded bypoll, Congress, BJP, Mumbai bypoll, Maharashtra bypoll, Ashok Chavan, Congress wins bypoll, India news, Indian Express Insiders in the BJP conceded that the NCP and MIM often wean away the Congress vote share and help the BJP but it did not work in Nanded, where Ashok Chavan became the rallying point for voters across caste and community, Marathas, Dalits and Muslims. (Express File Photo)

BJP leaders are trying to fathom the reasons behind the party losing massively to the Congress in the civic body elections in MPCC president Ashok Chavan’s home turf, Nanded. Of the 81 seats, Congress won 73 seats, BJP won 6, Shiv Sena 1 and independent 1. Some BJP leaders are pointing out “tactical voting” coupled with anti-outsider sentiments in the BJP — for inducting an “outsider” and Chavan-baiter Prataprao Chikhlikar into the BJP ahead of the polls — as the reasons that paved the way for the Congress victory.

In the 2012 municipal corporation elections, the Congress had won 41, BJP 2, NCP 10, MIM 11, Shiv Sena 14, independent 1 and others 2 seats. The three regional parties, Shiv Sena, NCP and MIM, faced a complete rout this time around. In the absence of vote division, the Congress managed to consolidate its own vote share taking a huge lead against the BJP, which was hoping to make inroads in Nanded.

State BJP president Raosaheb Danve said, “We have improved our seats from two to six and vote share from 3.5 to 24 per cent. Yet, we will analyse why we could not win more seats. All the factors and strategies will be relooked.” This is the third successive failure of the BJP to shake the Congress bastion in Nanded, which has political and emotive connect with the Chavan family. The late Shanakarrao Chavan, who was a minister at the state and the Centre, and father of Ashok Chavan, continues to hold emotive appeal among voters in Nanded.

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A senior BJP functionary, requesting anonymity, said, “We have to take lessons from the Nanded results. There was a tactical voting in Nanded which helped Congress and went against BJP. Secondly, we have to realise that outsider factors will not always work in favour of the BJP.” Ahead of the municipal elections, the BJP had inducted Chavan-rival Prataprao Chikhlikar in the party. The BJP leaders point out that Chikhlikar’s induction in the BJP hurt old loyalists in the party and did not elicit the expected support from non-BJP voters as well.

Several BJP leaders spoken to said that the Nanded polls should be an eyeopener and the party should decide where to stop when it comes to empowering outsiders in the party. The BJP cannot become a rehabilitation centre for outsiders, they said. A senior BJP MLA said, “Chikhlikar’s highhandedness also had hurt the senior leaders who were deputed for poll management, namely labour minister Sambhajirao Patil Nilengekar and general secretary Sujit Singh Thakur.”

Festive offer

In the past, Chikhlikar was a staunch loyalist of Shankarrao Chavan. However, he could not get along with Ashok Chavan. He had switched sides and became loyalist of late chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. In 2012, Chikhlikar left the Congress to join the NCP. In 2014, he quit NCP to join the Shiv Sena. Ahead of the 2017 Nanded municipal polls, he joined the BJP.

Although BJP leaders state that they have increased their vote share and seats in Nanded polls, they admit that they could not dent Ashok Chavan’s political bastion. Insiders in the BJP conceded that the NCP and MIM often wean away the Congress vote share and help the BJP but it did not work in Nanded, where Ashok Chavan became the rallying point for voters across caste and community, Marathas, Dalits and Muslims.

First uploaded on: 14-10-2017 at 03:27 IST
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