BJP shines in Maha civic polls, trails Sena by two seats in Mumbai

The BJP has secured 82 seats while the Shiv Sena bagged 84.

Soon after the brilliant performance in the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted: "Congratulations & Thank You to people of #Mumbai & Maharashtra for showing faith in #BJP led State & Central Govt. #ParivartanHonarach."

Acknowledging BJP's win in several new places, Fadnavis tweeted: "This is a historical win in true sense. Our success in ZP elections is also remarkable. And BJP won seats for the first time at many places."

He congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the win.

"This is victory is of Hon PM @narendramodi ji's vision & BJP's agenda of transparency. I dedicate this victory to the people of Maharashtra," he posted.

"The number of seats we (BJP) alone won in Maharashtra's Municipal Corporations is equal to sum of all seats of all parties," he wrote.

"Congratulations to all karyakartas who worked day in day out to make this victory possible, State President, MPs, MLAs & my colleagues," he tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also thanked the people of Maharashtra for the historic performance of BJP.

"BJP is unwavering in the resolve to serve Maharashtra with unparalleled diligence, transparency & taking the state to even greater heights," he tweeted.

"Extremely thankful to the sisters & brothers of Maharashtra for reposing their faith in BJP & in politics of development & good governance," he posted.

Congratulating Fadnavis, he wrote: "I congratulate the entire team of @BJP4Maharashtra, CM @Dev_Fadnavis & @raosahebdanve for working tirelessly among the people."

"It has been a great start to 2017! First the unprecedented support in Odisha & now the overwhelming blessings from people of Maharashtra," he said.

Though Sena is two seats ahead in Mumbai, the BJP emerged as a winner across the state.

Shiv Sena will fall short of majority at 114 seats in the 227-seat BMC.

The Congress and the NCP bagged 31 and 6 seats respectively, in the 227-member BMC, latest reports said.

Seen as a mini Assembly polls, the results are a big relief for Maharashtra Chief Minister  Devendra Fadnavis who led the campaign and had said that he would take responsibility for any defeat and give credit for victory to the entire BJP team.

Shiv Sena captured 84 seats of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), ahead of the main rival BJP which is only two seats behind.

The halfway mark of 114 is required to rule the civic body.

The BJP did well in other municipalities in the state.

It has wrested Pune from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and is ahead in Solapur, Amravati, Nashik and Nagpur as counting for nine other Maharashtra civic bodies are also underway.

According to media reports, the Sena, which ruled the BMC, country's richest civic body for 20 years, has said it will not take the support of the BJP, its estranged partner.

The average voting in the Maharashtra municipal polls held on Tuesday was 56.40 per cent, against 48.59 per cent for the same in 2012.

Taking moral responsibility for Congress' poor performance in the  BMC polls, the party's Mumbai unit chief Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday offered to resign from his post.

In 2012 the Congress had won 52 wards of the corporation.

Media reports said while talking to reporters, Nirupam criticised the  party leaders in the city who, he said, wished that the Congress lose the elections.

"In their aim to defeat me, they caused immense harm to the party," he said.