Electorate again fails to deliver clear mandate; Sharad Pawar-led NCP emerges single-largest party with 51 seats in Pune civic body polls, Raj Thackeray's MNS springs surprise by winning in 29 panels
Electorate again fails to deliver clear mandate; Sharad Pawar-led NCP emerges single-largest party with 51 seats in Pune civic body polls, Raj Thackeray's MNS springs surprise by winning inu00a0 29 panels
The fiercely fought Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) polls threw up a hung House with the NCP once again emerging the single largest party that bagged 51 seats. Raj Thackeray's MNS came second bagging 29 seats, while the Congress was confined to the third slot. 
According to political observers, the NCP will continue to rule the PMC as the party led by Sharad Pawar is likely to join hands with the Congress, which managed to win 28 seats, and thus comfortably reach the magic figure.
The voting to elect a new general body was held on Thursday. The results were announced yesterday. The results came as a big blow to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who spearheaded the PMC electioneering but remained on the defensive owing to the Suresh Kalmadi factor.
Congress candidates considered close to the CWG-scam-tainted MP, too, had to taste defeat. The brigade includes Sangita Tiwari, Amit Bagul, Virendra Kirad and Deputy Mayor Prasanna Jagtap. Avinash Bagve, son of former state minister Ramesh Bagve, a close associate of Kalmadi, managed to defeat NCP's Sandip Ladkat.
According to political observers, the MNS could elbow the Congress out of the second slot only because the NCP fought the polls without an alliance with its coalition partner at the state and the Centre.
This is the second consecutive term when the NCP has failed to get a clear majority. In the 2007 civic polls also, the party had to depend on the independent candidates to reach the magic figure of 77.
Final figures
51 NCP
29 MNS
28 Congress
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