CPI (M) scores significant election victories in Maharashtra!

In the elections to several gram panchayats held on June 26 in Thane, Nashik and Nandurbar districts, the CPI(M) not only retained most of the gram panchayats that it had held earlier, but also won over 35 new ones, wresting them from opponents like the Congress, NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena. Particularly good results were achieved in the Dahanu, Talasari, Jawhar, Vikramgad and Wada tehsils of Thane district and in the Surgana, Kalwan and Tryambakeshwar tehsils of Nashik district. The CPI (M) won a total of 107 gram panchayats – 60 in Nashik district, 42 in Thane district and 5 in Nandurbar district. Many of the winners in these gram panchayat elections are AIKS activists. 

Thane district: In Thane district, the Party won 42 GPs and 431 seats. 19 GPs were wrested from the opposition. In Talasari tehsil, of the 12 GPs that went to the polls it retained 9 of the 10 GPs held earlier by big majorities. Here the CPI(M) won 107 seats, the BJP won 25 and the NCP just 8. In the Dahanu tehsil, the Party won a total of 105 seats. It retained 4 of the 5 GPs held earlier and wrested 6 new GPs from the NCP. In the Jawhar tehsil, it won 60 seats, retained 4 of the 5 GPs held earlier and wrested 3 new ones. In the Vikramgad tehsil, it won 64 seats, retained 5 of the 6 GPs held earlier and wrested 4 new GPs. In the Wada tehsil, it won 60 seats, retained 1 of the 3 GPs held earlier and wrested 6 new ones. In the weaker Shahapur, Palghar and Mokhada tehsils, the Party won 35 seats.

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Nashik district: In Nashik district, the Party won 60 GPs and over 500 seats. 15 GPs were wrested from the opposition. In the Surgana tehsil, all the 58 GPs went to the polls. The CPI(M) won 36 GPs by a clear majority and 294 of the 532 total GP seats in the tehsil, leaving the combined opposition with only 22 GPs and 238 seats. In Surgana, the Party won all the 28 GPs that it had won earlier and wrested 8 new GPs from the combined opposition. In the Tryambakeshwar tehsil, the Party won 11 GPs, 3 more than last time, and over 100 seats. In the Kalwan tehsil it won 10 GPs. It won a couple of GPs in Peth and Dindori tehsils also.

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Nandurbar district: In Nandurbar district, the Party won 5 GPs, 4 in Shahada tehsil and 1 in Taloda tehsil. It won a number of seats in many GPs in the above two tehsils and also in Akkalkuwa tehsil.

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Earlier, on June 12, CPI (M) and AIKS activists also registered a sweeping victory in the elections to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) of Surgana tehsil in Nashik district by winning 15 of the 16 seats. The single seat we lost was also because of a toss, since the rival candidates had won the same number of votes. Here also we defeated the combined opposition panel of all bourgeois parties like the NCP, INC, BJP and SS. On June 26, in another election to the Hamaal Mapadi (headload workers) constituency in the Parbhani APMC, the CPI(M) scored a significant victory over its opponents and a rebel candidate.

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The significance of these victories was that they were won in an adverse political situation, in the wake of the defeat of the Left in West Bengal and Kerala a month and a half ago. This defeat was utilised to the fullest not only by the media to berate and slander the Left, but also directly by our opponents in all the above three districts in the election campaign. However, thousands of CPI(M) and AIKS activists successfully combated this motivated propaganda and worked hard to ensure these victories, which will stand us in good stead for the statewide Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections that are due in March 2012.