Mumbai, Dec. 22 -- The BJP on Sunday emerged as big winners in the first phase of elections for local self-government bodies in Maharashtra, winning 117 out of the 288 posts of president of municipal council and nagar panchayats across the state. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP's partner in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, emerged as a distant second, winning 53. The BJP bagged more than 48% of the overall tally of 6,859 seats as well, its score of 3,325 seats a huge jump from the 1,602 it had bagged in the 2017 local body polls. The Opposition claimed anomalies in voters lists and misuse of power and money by the ruling Mahayuti alliance led to these results. Maharashtra Congress president Harshavardhan Sakpal said, "It was not a free and fair election. The results are not commensurate with the sentiments of the people." P4...