BJP loses semi-urban municipal councils, retains Sehore and Mandsaur

BHOPAL: BJP suffered a huge setback on Saturday after it lost five of eight urban civic bodies to Congress in polls held on December 22. After Ratlam Lok Sabha bypoll, this is another victory for Congress, which has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh since December 2003. Congress leaders claim to have stopped the saffron juggernaut after victories in Ratlam last month followed by Shajapur and four other municipal council victories on Saturday.Earlier, BJP controlled seven of eight civic bodies. Congress retained Bhedaghat this time too.
While BJP retained Mandsaur and Sehore civic bodies, it lost Shajapur. Elections were also held in five municipal councils in semi-urban areas and small towns of Dhamnod, Orchha, Majhauli, Bheraghat and Shahgunj. BJP retained Shahgunj in Sehore district mainly because it forms part of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s home district. Congress bagged all other four municipal councils. The drubbing comes exactly a year after BJP made a clean sweep in the civic polls held in 135 bodies in the state. Then the party won 83 of 135 corporations.
An elated Congress on Saturday evening called a press conference “to acknowledge people’s verdict”. Speaking to reporters, state Congress chief spokesman K K Mishra said, “Victory streak which began with Bihar was carried over to Ratlam and now in state civic polls. People have voted against BJP and in favour of Congress. This is an indication that people are tired of false promises and histrionics of BJP. Saturday’s victory is attributed to hardwork of Congress workers and electoral strategy of state Congress president Arun Yadav.”
BJP, however, was not completely vanquished. State BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan argued of 179 wards where elections were held, the party in power won 93 seats. Only 60 went to Congress. “BJP has always respected people’s verdict. We thank voters for peaceful conduct of elections we will continue to serve the people,” said Nandkumar Singh Chauhan.
BJP which had not tasted electoral defeats for more than 10 years before Ratlam bypoll was in a state of shock. Party leaders are concerned that despite chief minister Chouhan canvassing and leading road-shows, BJP lost out in practically all semi-urban areas. BJP, however, seems to still hold sway in major cities and towns where it polled majority votes in Ratlam city seat during Lok Sabha bypoll last month and retained Sehore and Mandsaur on Saturday.
BJP candidate for Sehore and mayor Amita Jaiswal won by margin of 10,161 votes over her nearest rival from Congress Reena Yadav. In Shahjapur municipal corporation, Congress’ Sheetal Bhatt won the mayoral elections against Sangeeta Bhandawad by a margin of 2822 votes. BJP’s Prahlad Bandhwar won against Congress’ Soumil Nahata in the mayoral poll for Mandsaur municipal corporation.
BJP lost Orchha municipal council chairman seat by 96 votes. Congress’ Rajkumari Balram Singh polled 2,965 votes to beat her rival. Ruling party lost Majhauli in Jabalpur district by 472 votes, Bheraghat by 604 votes and Dhamnod by 565 votes. It is obvious BJP’s popularity is sliding in rural and semi-urban areas. The only municipal council where BJP will have its chairman is Shahganj where party candidate Gannulal gaur won by 1,793 votes.