The elections for the Sangli Zilla Parishad and its constituent Panchayat Samitis were held in February 2017, reflecting the broader statewide trend of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expanding its footprint into rural territories. Earlier, the region was known for the stronghold of the politics dominated by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Indian National Congress (INC). However, everything changed in 2017. Let's see what exactly happened:
BJP emerged as the single largest party in 2017
The results of the 2017 Zilla Parishad elections were historic for Sangli. Of the 60 seats in the Zilla Parishad, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the largest single party, winning 23 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party followed with 14 seats, while the Indian National Congress secured 10 seats. The Shiv Sena managed to win 3 seats, and other smaller parties and independents collectively took the remaining 10 seats.
In the Panchayat Samiti elections, which were held simultaneously for 120 seats across the district, the BJP continued its strong performance. The party won approximately 32% of the total seats, followed closely by the NCP and Congress, which won around 26% and 20% of the total seats, respectively.
Regarding the vote share, the BJP led the pack with approximately 30% of the total votes polled across the district. The Nationalist Congress Party maintained a significant presence with a vote percentage of around 19%, while the Indian National Congress followed with about 24%. The Shiv Sena garnered nearly 10% of the votes, with the remainder distributed among independents and local fronts like the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. This election effectively ended the decades-long, undisputed reign of the "Congress-NCP" combine in Sangli, ushering in a more competitive multi-polar political era for the district.
The Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections are happening after almost nine years and there is excitement around for the same reason. All eyes will once again be on the results in the Sangli district and it remains to be seen if there will be a close fight between BJP, NCP and INC this time.
