AIMIM is second largest party in Aurangabad civic polls

The Hyderabad-based AIMIM emerged as the second largest party in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, the results of whose election were announced here on Thursday.

With this, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is poised to become the main opposition party in the civic body.

The AIMIM secured 25 seats in the 113-member civic body, pushing the Congress to the fourth place with 10 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party got three seats while smaller parties and independents bagged 24 seats.

The ruling Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance swept 51 seats, emerging as the single largest group but falling short of a majority. The elections to the civic body were held on Wednesday.

In terms of individual party performance, the AIMIM, with 25 seats, stood second after Shiv Sena's 29. The BJP won 22 seats.

Aurangabad is renowned for the Ajanta-Ellora caves.

The party won two seats in the October 2014 Maharashtra assembly elections: Byculla in Mumbai and in Aurangabad.

An AIMIM leader told the media that the election outcome proved that "the people are tired of false promises made by other parties and they only want development".

He predicted that the AIMIM will perform even better in the times to come.

The AIMIM made a soft entry in Maharashtra in 2012 bagging 11 seats in the 81-member Nanded Municipal Corporation.

It is now preparing to contest the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections due in early 2017 and elections in other important civic bodies like Pune and Thane.