Madhya Pradesh civic polls: AAP scores maiden win, clinches mayoral post in Singrauli

BHOPAL: In a maiden feat, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday won the post of Mayor in Singrauli municipal corporation in Madhya Pradesh, a victory party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal hailed as acceptability of AAP's honest politics in every corner of the country.
AAP leader Akshay Hunka claimed that the party has won 17 seats of corporators, including in the Gwalior division and Jabalpur division, and other parts of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state for the first time.
The counting of votes for 11 municipal corporations, 36 nagar palikas and 86 nagar parishads, where elections were held on July 6, began at 9 am on Sunday.
AAP's mayoral candidate Rani Agrawal defeated BJP's Chandrapratap Vishwakarma by a margin of 9,352 votes in Singrauli.
However, the AAP could garner just five seats in the 45-member Sinrauli civic body, putting a question mark on how its party functionary on the hot seat will helm matters.
The BJP led with 23 seats, followed by 12 for the Congress, Independents three and Bahujan Samaj Party with two.
The BJP will have a strong chance of getting its candidate elected to the post of municipal corporation chairperson, who acts akin to the Assembly speaker in urban body meetings, observers said.
Kejriwal had held a roadshow in Singrauli.
He congratulated his colleague Rani Agrawal on the party's maiden mayoral poll win in MP.
"Many congratulations to AAP candidate Rani Agarwal ji, who won the post of Mayor in Singrauli Municipal Corporation of Madhya Pradesh, and to all the winners and workers. Work hard for the people. Now, the people in every corner of the country are liking the honest politics of work of Aam Aadmi Party,” Kejriwal tweeted.