Nanded civic polls' message: BJP can be defeated, says Sena

MUMBAI: Unfazed by its own failure in the Nanded civic polls, the Shiv Sena today took potshots at the BJP, saying the results sent a message that the saffron party can be defeated.

The Congress won 73 of the 81 seats in the Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation polls in Nanded, the home turf of state party chief Ashok Chavan, denting the BJP's bid to wrest power and limiting its tally to six.

The Sena managed to open its account with one seat and an independent also won a seat in the civic body, as per the final results declared by the State Election Commission this morning.

"The Shiv Sena had to fight on dual fronts. On one hand was Ashok Chavan's Congress and on other the BJP, which uses all possible means to win an election," an editorial in the party's mouthpiece, 'Saamana', said.

The Sena does not believe in playing casteist politics, it said.

The BJP had made the election a prestige issue, with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his cabinet colleagues taking part in campaigning, but they were decimated, just like in Delhi by the AAP, the Sena said.

"The results must have been a shocker for our friend, which saw the dream of a Congress-free India. The message for India through this election is clear - the BJP can be defeated," the NDA's ally at the Centre said.

The biggest lesson to be learnt from this election is that politics of money, power and poaching does not always work, and that state Congress chief Ashok Chavan, whose home turf is Nanded, has managed to cease the winning spree of the BJP, it said.

The NCP and the AIMIM, which had 10 and 11 corporators, respectively, in the outgoing civic body, failed to open their accounts this time.