In a significant morale-booster, scam-tainted former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan led the Congress to an emphatic victory in the elections held for the Nanded municipal corporation.
The Congress swept the elections bagging 41 out of the 81 seats. The Shiv Sena, the NCP and the BJP won 14, 10 and two seats respectively.
“I give all the credit for the win to the team work of party workers. The victory was a result of stress on developmental issues and inspiration of our leader Sonia Gandhi,” said a beaming Mr Chavan.
The win also brings a big relief to Mr Chavan, marking his popularity in his hometown. The unexpected results have also bettered his chances of returning to mainstream politics in the state. The Congress won 41 seats, two more than last time, while the NCP, which contested the elections separately could not add to their last year’s tally. The irrigation scam seems to have curtailed the NCP’s progress, said political observers.
However, the biggest loser in this election has been the Shiv Sena, which won only 14 seats.
Sena executive chief Uddhav Thackeray, who was expecting more seats, said that the Congress used “money power” to win the elections.
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Sena Dussehra rally gets hc approval
Age correspondent
Mumbai, Oct. 15
Giving its nod in favour of the Shiv Sena, the Bombay high court on Monday gave conditional permission to the party to hold its “Dussehra rally” at Shivaji Park. However, this could be the last year when the party is allowed to hold its rally at the Dadar ground, which has already been declared as silence zone by the high court.
The court has even asked the Shiv Sena to look for alternate venue like the MMRDA grounds in suburban Bandra for next year’s rally. While granting permission, a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice N.M. Jamdar imposed certain conditions such as usage of distributive sound system instead of loudspeakers and also putting up sound barriers around the ground. The party will have to adhere to sound pollution norms and maintain the decibel level below 60.