The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh suffered a double setback of sorts in the Civic Body elections on Saturday, as its sitting  Municipal Chairpersons lost in both seats in the ‘right to recall’  elections, while in the fresh elections of Chairpersons in 18 other civic bodies, the BJP only managed to draw with the opposition Congress, as both parties won the chairpersons’ posts in nine civic bodies each.

The MP State Election Commission today announced the results of the recently held civic body elections. According to the commission,the polling was held on 17 January for 23 posts of  Municipal body chairpersons and 356 posts of Municipal Corporators.

The elections included the polling for the ‘right to recall’ for three posts of Municipal body chairpersons. The BJP suffered a major setback in those polls, as both its sitting chairpersons were defeated and failed in saving their respective seats. The ruling party’s sitting chairman, Deepak Nagar, in Khilchipur municipality of Rajgarh district lost the elections and could not save his seat. Similarly, the BJP’s sitting chairperson in Karnawad municipality of Dewas district also lost his seat.

On the other hand, the sitting chairperson of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Sangeeta Sudeep Yadav, in Akoda municipality of Bhind district won the election and succeeded in retaining her seat. As per the results of the fresh elections in 20 civic bodies, Congress candidates won nine seats of Municipal Chairpersons and 145 seats of Corporators. BJP candidates also won nine seats of chairpersons.

There was some saving grace for the ruling party in the corporators’ polls, as its candidates won in 194 seats, 49 more than the Congress. An independent won in one seat of chairperson, while the result for one seat was withheld, as per court orders.

The Commission said that the BJP and Congress got an equal share of 43 per cent votes each in the polling for municipal body chairpersons. In the polls for corporators, the BJP got a slightly higher vote percentage at 46 per cent while the Congress got 43 per cent votes in these polls, according to the state election commission.

The Congress was able to wrest seven seats from the ruling BJP while the BJP candidates defeated sitting Congress candidates on four seats of municipal chairpersons. Madhya Pradesh State Assembly leader of opposition Ajay Singh said that the Congress won in seven seats out of the 12 that were with the BJP so far. Singh asserted that the results prove that the people of the state have become totally disenchanted with the BJP now.