Congress wins 41 municipal presidents, 1,006 councillors in Maharashtra polls

The Congress has secured a notable victory in the elections to 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra winning 41 municipal presidents and 1006 councillors statewide reported the IANSState Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said that on Monday that the party fought the elections on the strength of its ideology despite facing extremely challenging circumstancesSapkal said that the Congress contested the elections without financial backing and relied solely on its commitment to democratic values to take on the ruling dispensationldquoWith no financial support and depending entirely on our belief in democracy the Congress challenged the money power of the ruling parties On the strength of the tireless efforts of our workers voters delivered this mandate These results prove once again that trust is greater than money and ideas matter more than powerrdquo he said according to the IANSWorkersrsquo determination reflected in resultsAcknowledging both victories and setbacks Sapkal said that the Congress has endured many political cycles and continues to draw strength from its cadreldquoRather than being demoralised by defeat Congress workers have the energy resolve and determination to fight with even greater enthusiasm The faith of our workers in the organisation is vital and it has clearly been reflected in these resultsrdquo he addedRegionwise performanceAccording to party figures the Congress won Nagpur division 14 municipal presidents and 340 councillors Amravati division 9 municipal presidents and 236 councillors Marathwada 5 municipal presidents and 156 councillors Western Maharashtra 3 municipal presidents and 47 councillors Northern Maharashtra 2 municipal presidents and 47 councillors Konkan division 1 municipal president and 26 councillorsIn addition candidates supported by Congressled local alliances won 7 municipal presidents and 154 councillorslsquoCongress far from finishedrsquo SapkalSapkal said the election outcome was a clear response to those claiming the Congress was politically irrelevantldquoThe people have rejected attempts to disrupt social harmony in the name of caste and religion for political gain as well as the belief that elections can be won purely through money power These results reaffirm that Congress ideology alone can protect the nationrdquo he said as per the IANSAttack on BJPled MahayutiWhile acknowledging that the BJP and the Eknath Shindeled party secured victories in some areas Sapkal alleged that these wins were achieved through excessive use of money and with the backing of the administration and the Election CommissionldquoDespite this the Congress continues to live in the hearts of the people and will remain thererdquo he said the news agency reportedDescribing the contest as a ldquobattle of ideasrdquo Sapkal said the party has remained steadfast in its ideology and thanked party workers and voters across Maharashtra for their supportSapkal said the results would energise the party ahead of forthcoming municipal corporation and zilla parishad elections adding that the Congress would continue its fight against what he described as the massively corrupt BJPled Mahayuti governmentwith IANS inputs