BJP dominates NMMC elections, Shinde-led Sena emerges second

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation NMMC elections delivered a clear and decisive mandate on Friday January 16 with the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP emerging as the single largest force winning 65 of the total 111 seatsShiv Sena Eknath Shinde followed with 42 seats while Shiv Sena UBT managed just two The MNS secured one seat and one seat went to an IndependentWhile the BJP celebrated a thumping majority the election also witnessed the dramatic fall of several heavyweight candidatesAmong the biggest shocks was the defeat of M K Madhvi a wellknown face in Airoli and former corporator who lost to Shivaji Bajirao Khopde of the BJP from Ward 004DSimilarly Anant Sutar and Shashikala Sutar the politically influential husbandandwife duo considered close to Forest Minister Ganesh Naik suffered defeats at the hands of Akash Madhvi and Puja Patil both from Shiv Sena Eknath ShindeFormer NMMC mayor Sagar Naik returned stronglyOn the winning side former NMMC mayor Sagar Naik BJP returned strongly registering a convincing victory and reaffirming his hold over Navi Mumbairsquos electorateAnother standout was the Chowgule family with candidates Vijay Chowgule Chandni Chowgule and Shubham Chowgule all securing wins on Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde tickets underlining their grassroots influenceSpeaking after the results Ganesh Naik devoted the BJPrsquos sweeping victory to the people of Navi MumbaildquoThe election is over and so is the fightrdquo he said adding that the mandate proved citizens still believed in development politicsNaik who had strongly pushed the BJPrsquos decision to contest the polls solo without an alliance said the verdict showed that people ldquostill love development and trust my vision for Navi MumbairdquoPanvel poll resultsIn neighbouring Panvel the BJP also posted a commanding performance winning 55 seats while Shiv Sena managed two and the NCP just oneSpeaking to midday BJP MLA Prashant Thakur said ldquoOur party is extremely happy with the win People of Panvel voted for development This victory was possible due to the tireless efforts of our central leadership Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath ShinderdquoNotably heavyweight losers Manohar Madhvi and Anant Sutar did not respond to repeated calls from middayMeanwhile the NMMC Commissioner speaking to midday said voter turnout was the highest ever recorded in Navi MumbaildquoThe election process was conducted smoothly without any major disturbances or disruptions across the cityrdquo he saidWardwise winners in NNMCWard 001 amp 002 Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde sweeps all seatsWard 003 Akash Madhvi Puja Patil SSndashEknath defeat BJP heavyweightsWard 004D Shivaji Bajirao Khopde BJP defeats M K MadhviWard 013 Sagar Naik BJP wins with a strong marginOverall Tally BJP 65 SS Eknath 42 SS UBT 2 MNS 1 Independent 1Violent clashes break out between BJPShiv Sena workers in NerulView this post on InstagramA post shared by midday middayindiaMeanwhile a violent clash broke out between BJP and Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena workers in Nerul on Friday During the altercation the local Shiv Sena office was allegedly vandalised causing damage to propertySources said the the cops rushed to the spot following the incident to control the situationThe incident comes amid heightened tensions following recent municipal election results announced on Friday evening