Ravindra Chavan's Statement Costs BJP Dearly in Latur Civic Polls; Congress Surges

• BJP state president Ravindra Chavan's controversial statement about 'erasing Vilasrao Deshmukh's memories' during the Latur municipal election campaign sparked widespread criticism.
• Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had to visit Latur for damage control following Chavan's remarks.
• Initial trends for 51 out of 70 seats show Congress leading in 30 seats, BJP in 17, and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in 4.
• Congress needs only two more seats to secure a majority (36) and install its mayor in Latur.
• The 2017 elections saw BJP win with a clear majority of 36 seats, but this year, Chavan's statement is being cited as a key reason for their potential defeat, with Vilasrao Deshmukh's loyalists reportedly block-voting for Congress.

Why It Matters: Ravindra Chavan's controversial statement significantly impacted BJP's performance, leading to a strong Congress comeback in Latur.