The Palghar Zilla Parishad (ZP) and Panchayat Samiti (PS) elections were held on January 7, and the counting was on January 8.
The CPI(M), which had recently won the Dahanu (ST) assembly seat in Palghar district in October 2019 with its young MLA Comrade Vinod Nikole, improved its position in these elections.
The CPI(M) won 6 ZP seats and 12 PS seats in 2020, as against 5 ZP seats and 10 PS seats in 2015. This marks an increase of 3 seats. In some other seats, the Party lost very narrowly.
The CPI(M) tried hard to have the same alliance with secular parties as was forged in the last LS and VS polls, but the effort did not succeed. Consequently, we had to fight these elections on our own independent strength. Despite this, the Party succeeded in increasing its votes and seats.
The biggest victory was in Talasari tehsil, where the CPI(M) won 4 of the 5 ZP seats and 8 of the 10 PS seats. With this victory, the Red Flag will fly again over the Talasari Panchayat Samiti.
Significantly, the CPI(M) has consistently won the Talasari Panchayat Samiti for 58 years at a stretch ever since the first local body elections held in Maharashtra in 1962.
The CPI(M) also won 1 ZP seat and 2 PS seats in Dahanu tehsil, 1 ZP seat and 1 PS seat in Jawhar tehsil and 1 PS seat in Vikramgad tehsil.
The names of the ZP election winners of the CPI(M) along with their constituencies are as follows:
*Tehsil Talasari*
1. Zai – Ramu Pagi
2. Dongari – Vijay Urade
3. Uplat – Anil Zirva
4. Udhwa – Akshay Davnekar
*Tehsil Dahanu*
5. Dhamangaon – Satish Karbat
*Tehsil Jawhar*
6. Manisha Budhar (W)
The names of the PS election winners of the CPI(M) along with their constituencies are as follows:
*Tehsil Talasari*
1. Uplat – Rajesh Kharpade
2. Kochai – Santosh Khatal
3. Sutrakar – Sharad Umbarsada
4. Dongari – Namrata Dhodi (W)
5. Zai – Sunita Shingda (W)
6. Vasa – Bharat Kadu
7. Vadavli – Sangita Ozare (W)
8. Udhwa – Nandkumar Hadal
*Tehsil Dahanu*
9. Kainad – Sumitra Baraf (W)
10. Dhamangaon – Naina Khevra (W)
*Tehsil Jawhar*
11. Vavar – Jyoti Budhar (W)
*Tehsil Vikramgad*
12. Dadade – Ladkya Lahange