KDMC polls: What did Shiv Sena suggest to BJP after winning?

New Delhi: After edging past the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections, Shiv Sena on Monday said those who have lost should introspect.

In an apparent taunt against BJP which is its senior partner in the NDA, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party noted that while the "entire Maharashtra Cabinet" (including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis) had turned up to campaign for candidates of the NDA major, it is the Shiv Sena which managed to win people's confidence.

"Shiv Sena is Shiv Sena and no one can put it on back foot. Entire Maharashtra government (ministers) had turned up (for campaigning) in Kalyan-Dombivli. Still Sena has succeeded in winning people's confidence. This is Sena's bastion, it never relied on use of money and power. We humbly accept the result and those who have lost should introspect," senior Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said.

The Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party by winning 52 of the 122 seats in the KDMC. The BJP stood second with 42 while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) secured nine seats.

Worried by a 10-seat shortfall to secure a simple majority, the Shiv Sena may be compelled to seek the support of other parties unless it decides to tie up with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Congress got four seats in the KDMC, the NCP two, and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the Bahujan Samaj Party won one seat each.

Despite fighting the elections bitterly and separately for the first time since the 2014 Assembly polls, the Sena-BJP secured handsome wins in KDMC, mostly at the cost of the Congress and MNS.

The Sena improved upped its tally from 31 (2010) to 52 seats this time, while the BJP shot up from nine (2010) to 42, an almost five-time hike in its tally.

On the other hand, the Congress tumbled from 15 (2010) to just four, and the MNS was humbled from 27 (2010) to only nine seats this time.

According to the State Election Commission, 47 percent of the electorate voted in the KDMC polls on Sunday.

(With Agency inputs)