Congress retains Ichalkaranji council, NCP sway over Kagal, Murgud

Kolhapur, Nov 20 (UNI) The Congress has won 33 seats and retained its power in the 57-member Ichalkaranji Municipal Council in Kolhapur district.

The elections to the municipal council were held yesterday and the counting of votes was taken up today. As many as 705 candidates were in the fray for the 57 seats.

The Congress had contested all the 57 seats on party symbol and bagged 33 seats. The City Development Front, a united front forged by the NCP, Janata Dal, BJP and Shiv Sena, won 16 seats, while the Jansurajya Party bagged three seats. The remaining five seats were won by independents.

Prominent among those to win the election was outgoing municipal council chairperson Kishori Awade, who is the wife of former Maharashtra minister and sitting Ichalkaranji MLA Prakash Awade.

Among those to be defeated were veteran BJP leader Shankarrao Pujari who has served as councillor for 30 years, NCP candidates Ashokrao Jambhale and Ashok Swami, and Hindurao Shelke of the BJP.

The 17-member Kagal and Murgud municipal councils were won by the group led by NCP Lok Sabha member Sadashivrao Mandalik. The group bagged ten and fifteen seats in the Murgud and Kagal municipal councils respectively.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Raosaheb Patil's group won nine of the 17 seats in the Kurundwad Municipal Council. Jairambapu Patil-led Congress group secured seven seats here, while the Jansurajya Party won one seat.

In the 17-member Gadhinglaj Municipal Council, former MLA Shripatrao Shinde-led Janata Dal group won seven seats, while Jansurajya Party won five seats, the NCP won four, and one seat went to an independent candidate.

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