Voters across Marathwada prepare for crucial municipal corporation elections this Thursday. Polls will take place in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded, Latur, Parbhani, and Jalna. These civic battles highlight shifting political alliances and direct contests between major parties.
Nanded Sees High-Stakes Contest
Nanded Municipal Corporation features 491 candidates competing for 81 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena contest independently after failed alliance talks. Shiv Sena partners with the Nationalist Congress Party in the Nanded South assembly seat. NCP MLA Pratap Patil Chikhalikar leads a vigorous campaign for his party.
BJP relies on party MP Ashok Chavan to deliver victory. Chavan previously brought his party to win in Nanded while he was a Congress member. Congress and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi form an alliance here. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen also runs a spirited campaign across the city.
Latur Witnesses Direct BJP-Congress Fight
Latur Municipal Corporation has 70 seats with 259 candidates in the race. A direct fight emerges between BJP and the Congress-VBA alliance. Other parties like NCP and Shiv Sena also participate actively.
Campaigning in Latur turned controversial recently. BJP state president Ravindra Chavan made objectionable remarks about late Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. This sparked calls for a Latur bandh as a protest.
Late CM Vilasrao Deshmukh's son, local MLA Amit Deshmukh, appealed for calm. He urged people to respond through the ballot box instead of protests.
Multi-Corner Battles in Parbhani
Parbhani sees 411 candidates vying for 65 municipal seats. All Mahayuti partners contest separately here. Both factions of the NCP unite for this election. Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress join hands in parts of the city.
Political analysts predict multi-corner fights across Parbhani. No single party appears likely to secure a clear majority in the corporation.
Jalna Holds Maiden Corporation Polls
Jalna gained municipal corporation status in May 2023. The city now holds its first-ever municipal corporation elections. The corporation comprises 65 wards with 454 candidates contesting. This includes 154 independent candidates.
A straight fight between BJP and Shiv Sena dominates expectations here. Several wards may still see multi-corner contests. Congress, NCP, and other parties flex their political muscles across the city.
These elections test political equations across Marathwada region. Results will reveal voter sentiment ahead of larger state elections. All parties invested significant resources in these local battles.
