The BJP has registered its best ever performance in the history of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council elections by winning 44 out of the total 60 wards, according to the results declared by election officials on Thursday morning.

Congress, which was trailing behind, won 14 seats. The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) surprised everyone by increasing its tally from one seat in previous MCC council elections to two seats. The CPI(M), Welfare Party of India (WPI), Karnataka Rajya Samith (KRS) and Independent candidates contesting the MCC council elections failed to register a victory.

In 2013 MCC elections, the Congress had wrested power by winning 35 seats. The BJP with 20 seats had to remain content in the role of Opposition. The JD(s) had won two seats, while the CPI (M) and Independent candidate had won one seat each. In the past seven terms of the council, the Congress had won with a majority as many as four times in 1983, 1990, 2002 and 2013. It had formed coalition with support of JD(S) in 1997.

A look at Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council:

Total seats-60

BJP: 44

Congress : 14

SDPI: 2