The elections to 27 Zilla Parishads (ZP), 305 Panchayat samitis (PS) and 10 Municipal Corporations (MC) that took place in Maharashtra in February 2012 have resulted in a mixed bag.
In the Municipal Corporations, in Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Ulhasnagar, it is advantage SS-BJP-RPI alliance (although the RPI has fared very poorly everywhere); in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Solapur and Amravati, it is advantage NCP and/or INC (although they had fought each other); in Nashik it is advantage Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) (here the SS and BJP had fought each other); and in Akola, it is a toss-up between the two major fronts. In the 27 ZPs, except for 5 where the SS and/or the BJP are in the lead, in 22 others it is the NCP and/or the INC that is ahead.
The total number of seats won by the major bourgeois parties in the 10 MCs is as follows: NCP – 267, INC – 263, SS – 226, BJP – 206, MNS – 112. The total number of seats won by them in the 27 ZPs is as follows: NCP – 525, INC – 459, SS – 255, BJP – 198, MNS – 19.
The NCP has displaced the INC from the first position that it had occupied five years ago. The SS-BJP retain their base in the cities, but continue to lag behind in the countryside. The MNS has scored mainly in Nashik (40), Pune (29) and Mumbai (28) and is negligible in rural areas. It had the covert support of the INC-NCP. Like in the 2009 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls, they wanted to use the MNS to dent the SS-BJP, especially in Mumbai and Thane. But this time they did not succeed.
CPI(M) PERFORMANCE
The CPI(M) has won 29 seats in 6 districts in these elections, despite the unprecedented money and muscle power employed by all bourgeois parties in this election. All these seats have been won on the basis of the independent strength of the Party. No worthwhile alliance was feasible anywhere.
In Thane district, the Party won 12 seats - 4 ZP and 8 PS – in the three tehsils of Talasari, Dahanu and Jawhar. By winning 5 of the 6 seats in the Talasari Tehsil Panchayat Samiti, the Party has maintained its winning streak in this bastion for the last 50 years. The first time that the Party won this Panchayat Samiti was in the first ZP/PS elections after the formation of Maharashtra state in 1962.
In Nashik district, the Party won 11 seats – 3 ZP, 5 PS and 3 MC – in Surgana tehsil and Nashik city. There was an increase of 2 MC seats in Nashik. By winning 5 of the 6 seats in the Surgana Tehsil Panchayat Samiti, the Party has maintained its winning streak in this other rural bastion for the last 15 years. In the rural areas of both Nashik and Thane districts, the Party has a strong Adivasi base.
In Solapur city, the Party won 3 MC seats, retaining its earlier strength. In the Parbhani and Nanded districts of Marathwada region, and in the Buldana district of Vidarbha region, the Party won 1 PS seat each. In Nanded and Buldana districts, seats were won for the first time. Two years ago, in the ZP/PS elections held in Nandurbar district, the Party had won 2 seats – 1 ZP and 1 PS.
Thus, the break-up of the total ZP/PS/MC seats of the CPI(M) in Maharashtra today is as follows: ZP – 8, PS – 17, MC – 6, Total – 31.
In this election, there were about a dozen seats in Thane, Solapur, Nanded and Parbhani districts that were lost by the CPI(M) by wafer-thin margins. In several districts of Maharashtra, many of the Party candidates polled a substantial number of votes, wresting second or third place.
In the Municipal Corporations, in Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Ulhasnagar, it is advantage SS-BJP-RPI alliance (although the RPI has fared very poorly everywhere); in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Solapur and Amravati, it is advantage NCP and/or INC (although they had fought each other); in Nashik it is advantage Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) (here the SS and BJP had fought each other); and in Akola, it is a toss-up between the two major fronts. In the 27 ZPs, except for 5 where the SS and/or the BJP are in the lead, in 22 others it is the NCP and/or the INC that is ahead.
The total number of seats won by the major bourgeois parties in the 10 MCs is as follows: NCP – 267, INC – 263, SS – 226, BJP – 206, MNS – 112. The total number of seats won by them in the 27 ZPs is as follows: NCP – 525, INC – 459, SS – 255, BJP – 198, MNS – 19.
The NCP has displaced the INC from the first position that it had occupied five years ago. The SS-BJP retain their base in the cities, but continue to lag behind in the countryside. The MNS has scored mainly in Nashik (40), Pune (29) and Mumbai (28) and is negligible in rural areas. It had the covert support of the INC-NCP. Like in the 2009 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls, they wanted to use the MNS to dent the SS-BJP, especially in Mumbai and Thane. But this time they did not succeed.
CPI(M) PERFORMANCE
The CPI(M) has won 29 seats in 6 districts in these elections, despite the unprecedented money and muscle power employed by all bourgeois parties in this election. All these seats have been won on the basis of the independent strength of the Party. No worthwhile alliance was feasible anywhere.
In Thane district, the Party won 12 seats - 4 ZP and 8 PS – in the three tehsils of Talasari, Dahanu and Jawhar. By winning 5 of the 6 seats in the Talasari Tehsil Panchayat Samiti, the Party has maintained its winning streak in this bastion for the last 50 years. The first time that the Party won this Panchayat Samiti was in the first ZP/PS elections after the formation of Maharashtra state in 1962.
In Nashik district, the Party won 11 seats – 3 ZP, 5 PS and 3 MC – in Surgana tehsil and Nashik city. There was an increase of 2 MC seats in Nashik. By winning 5 of the 6 seats in the Surgana Tehsil Panchayat Samiti, the Party has maintained its winning streak in this other rural bastion for the last 15 years. In the rural areas of both Nashik and Thane districts, the Party has a strong Adivasi base.
In Solapur city, the Party won 3 MC seats, retaining its earlier strength. In the Parbhani and Nanded districts of Marathwada region, and in the Buldana district of Vidarbha region, the Party won 1 PS seat each. In Nanded and Buldana districts, seats were won for the first time. Two years ago, in the ZP/PS elections held in Nandurbar district, the Party had won 2 seats – 1 ZP and 1 PS.
Thus, the break-up of the total ZP/PS/MC seats of the CPI(M) in Maharashtra today is as follows: ZP – 8, PS – 17, MC – 6, Total – 31.
In this election, there were about a dozen seats in Thane, Solapur, Nanded and Parbhani districts that were lost by the CPI(M) by wafer-thin margins. In several districts of Maharashtra, many of the Party candidates polled a substantial number of votes, wresting second or third place.
Thanks for this note. We were looking forward to knowing the state of the party at the hustings.
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