The average voter turnout at the end of the two-phase elections for 10 municipal corporations, 25 zilla parishads and 283 panchayat samitis shows a common trend: there has been a substantial increase in polling across the state, barring a few exceptions. As the elections are being fought for civic corporations, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, the verdict will come from urban, semi-urban and rural areas. While political observers describe it as a “mini-Vidhan Sabha polls”, the outcome is being equated as a referendum on the BJP led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
On Tuesday morning after casting his vote, Fadnavis exuded confidence about his party doing well in the elections. In his hometown Nagpur, where he voted with his family, he said, “I’m confident people will support the initiative taken by the government to bring socio-economic reforms to both urban and rural areas across Maharashtra.”
Senior BJP leader Madhav Bhandari said, “Preliminary reports across the state and Mumbai indicate a higher polling percentage. The general trend is, a higher polling percentage works in favour of change.” However, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare said he was confident the party will retain its number one position in zilla parishads and panchayat samitis.
