BMC polls: Post Congress' poor performance Sanjay Nirupam tenders resignation

Mumbai [India], Feb 23 (ANI): Post weak performance of the Congress party in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls in Maharashtra, its party leader Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday resigned from the post of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chairman post. "With all humility, I take the responsibility of defeat of Party in #BMCPolls2017. Hence, I have offered my resignation from the post," Nirupam tweeted. The Shiv Sena is currently leading in 85 wards in BMC polls while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trailing with a lead in 52 wards. The Congress is leading in 16 wards, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in six wards, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in nine wards and others in five wards, according to ANI. The total number of wards under the BMC is 227. The results after the counting, which began at 10 am today, will determine the fate of 21,620 candidates for 5,777 seats up for grabs in the elections, which were held in two phases. An official of the poll body said that Mumbai recorded 55.53 per cent polling, highest in the last 25 years and 10 per cent higher than 2012. Polling for seats of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai concluded on Tuesday where a total of 17,331 candidates were in the fray for 3,210 seats in 10 municipal corporations. The average voting in the Maharashtra municipal polls held on Tuesday was 56.40 per cent, against 48.59 per cent for the same in 2012. The Shiv Sena had won 75 of the 227 seats last time, with the BJP winning 31, the Congress 52 and the NCP 13. (ANI)