The counting of votes for the first phase of municipal elections in Madhya Pradesh took place on Sunday. The Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a clean sweep in Phase 1 of the Municipal Corporation elections. 

Elections to 133 civic bodies, including 11 municipal corporations, 36 municipal councils and 86 towns councils in the first phase were held on July 6. The first phase saw a voter turnout of 61 per cent. The counting for the second phase of urban bodies elections will be held on July 20. 

The Bhartiya Janata Party has swept Phase 1 of the MP Local Body Polls by winning 5 seats. In Sehore, BJP wins 22 out of the 35 wards while Congress win nine seats and independents bagged four wards. BJP Also managed to grab Sagar's mayoral post. BJP also won the Burhanpur seat. BJP is also leading on two seats.

Congress clinched the Jabalpur, and Chhindwara mayoral posts. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) registered its first electoral victory in MP urban body polls on Sunday with its woman candidate winning the corporator's post in Khandwa city.

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Indore’s mayoral candidate Sanjay Shukla, while claiming harassment at the hands of the local police and administration, sat on dharna outside the Indore Stadium. He alleged that despite having valid passes, the Congress workers were not being allowed to enter the stadium where the counting is taking place.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulates winning candidates.

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BJP mayor candidates win in Burhanpur, Satna and Khandwa.

Congress leading across 32 wards in Jabalpur, BJP leading in 28.

Mayoral candidates of the BJP were leading in Bhopal, Indore, Sagar and Chhindwara out of the 11 municipal corporations in Madhya Pradesh where polls were held recently, as per the early counting trend available on Sunday.

AAP mayor candidate wins from singrauli.

The BJP has won 24 out of 35 wards in the Sehore Municipality. The Congress is ahead in eight seats, while Independents are leading in two.

BJP has emerged victorious in 29 out of 40 seats from Mandsaur Municipality, Congress has won eight seats, while the independents have won three.

21-year-old from Sarekhon Gram Panchayat of Vidisha district Anil Yadav becomes the youngest Sarpanch.

“I defeated BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma's nephew by 12 votes. I am a political science student, had come home after covid. My mother was a sarpanch, this kept me connected with people,” Anil Yadav told news agency ANI.

The ruling BJP had blamed the State Election Commission (SEC)for a dismal turnout in Bhopal during the first phase and claimed that several voters could not cast their ballot due to the negligence of the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the distribution of voter slips.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2022 12:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).