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BJP wins two key civic polls in Maharashtra

Mumbai: The BJP on Friday scored a big win in the Sangli municipal elections by defeating the Congress-NCP alliance and also swept the Jalgaon civic body in Maharashtra where it trounced the Shiv Sena.

The BJP's victory in the twin civic polls, held on August 1, comes in the midst of the ongoing agitation by the Maratha community for reservation in government jobs and education. The win is being seen as a relief to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, under fire over handling of the stir.

The BJP, an ally of the Shiv Sena in the state and at the Centre, won 57 of the 75 seats in the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC), according to result declared by the State Election Commission (SEC).

Local strongman and Shiv Sena leader Suresh Jain's Khandesh Vikas Agadhi (KVA), which ruled the civic body for several years, won only 13 seats.

The KVA, a local outfit which contested the election on the Shiv Sena symbol this time, had 36 seats in the JMC.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) bagged three seats, while Independents won two seats.

The NCP, which had 11 corporators in the civic body, drew a blank. The Congress in Jalgaon failed to open its account for the second consecutive time.

Jalgaon is the home turf of BJP heavyweights Eknath Khadse and Girish Mahajan. Mahajan, the Water Resources Minister in the BJP-led government, had led the election campaign.

Ahead of the polls, there was reportedly some resentment within the BJP ranks as several supporters of Jain,

a former state minister, were given party tickets, but this did not appear to have dented the saffron outfit's electoral chances.

In 2013, the KVA had won 36 seats followed by the BJP (15), the MNS (12), the NCP (11) and Independent (1).

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