The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a decisive clean sweep in the Lakadganj Zone, winning all 16 seats across Prabhag 4, 23, 24 and 25 in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections. The results firmly established the zone as a BJP stronghold and delivered a major setback to the Indian National Congress, which failed to open its account in the area.
In Prabhag 25, the Congress paid a heavy price for denying a ticket to former corporator Purushottam Hazare. The decision backfired, with all four seats going to the BJP. Adding to the Congress-NCP woes, Duneshwar Pethe, city president of the Nationalist Congress Party, was defeated by BJP’s Balya Borkar in Prabhag 23.
Prabhag 4 saw BJP candidates Niranjana Patil, Sheshrao Gotmare, Manisha Atkare and Ramdas Sahu emerge victorious. Despite replacing sitting corporator Rajkumar Selokar, the party successfully retained the seat. In Prabhag 23, BJP candidates Balu Rarokar, Archana Padole, Santosh Laddha and Balya Borkar maintained a clear lead from the outset, pushing Congress candidates to third position.
In Prabhag 24, Durgeshwari Kosekar, Pradeep Pohane and Sarita Kavre of the BJP led comfortably from the first round. The contest for the fourth seat was more dramatic, with BJP’s Arun Harode trailing Shiv Sena candidate Jagtaram Sinha till the tenth round, before staging a comeback to secure victory.
Prabhag 25 also witnessed an initially close contest between Congress candidate Shrikant Kaikade and BJP’s Rajeshwar Shripat Divte. As counting progressed, the BJP widened its lead and sealed a comprehensive win.
However, counting day was not without controversy. Objections were raised at multiple centres over alleged EVM discrepancies, prompting complaints by Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) candidates. Recounting was conducted in Prabhag 25, but as results remained unchanged, BJP candidates were declared elected.
Complaints of mismanagement at the counting centre—including poor facilities and non-functional display systems—added to the tension, briefly overshadowing the BJP’s emphatic victory in the Lakadganj Zone.
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