Gram Panchayat poll results in Maharashtra will test the strength of MVA, BJP

The combined strength of the ruling tri-party Maha Vikas Aghadi and opposition BJP would be known over Monday and Tuesday when results of nearly 50 per cent of Maharashtra’s Gram Panchayats (GPs) start pouring in.

With the big corporations going to polls in 2021-22, the results would be important for both – the ruling Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress and the opposition BJP.

In the GPs – which is the grassroots level political set up – the political equations and dynamics are different.

Symbols of registered political parties are not used in these elections and candidates and groups form panels and fight the elections. But they get the support of the mainstream political parties – and are keenly contested – and the results reflect the party’s following and penetration at the grass-roots level.

The January 15 GP polls were held in the wake of the ruling MVA’s victory in the graduates' and teachers' constituencies in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections that took place last year. With MVA sweeping the polls, the ruling alliance has got an edge.

The polls are very significant as 14,234 GPs – which is nearly 50 per cent of the total 27,920 GPs. Of the 14,234 GPs, polling was held in 12,711 GPs – as in several places the elections were unopposed.

The polling was held for 1,25,709 seats, for which nominations had been received from 3,56,221 candidates. A total of 2,41,598 candidates were in the race post scrutiny and withdrawal of nominations.

As many as 26,718 of these candidates faced no rivals and would be declared elected unopposed.

The polls were held in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic – and was spread in 34 of the 36 districts in the state. A good polling percentage of 79 per cent was recorded.

The polls are a sort of the litmus test for Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who leads the MVA government. Even though in the Council polls, the MVA gained significantly, gaining control in GPs will not be an easy task.

On the other hand, leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis, after the Council polls results, had admitted that the BJP could not judge the combined strength of Sena-NCP-Congress - and made extensive preparations for the GP polls to make inroads in the hinterland.