BJP Clinch Mayor’s Post In Akola, Congress Fumes As AIMIM Abstains In Vote

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday won the mayoral election in the Akola Municipal Corporation, becoming the first municipal corporation in the state to elect a mayor after the recent municipal polls, even as government formation talks continue in 28 other corporations. BJP candidate Sharda Khedekar was elected mayor with the support of corporators, including three from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), in the 80-member house. AIMIM councillors abstained from voting, prompting the Congress to brand the party a “B-team” of the BJP.

Although the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 38 seats in the elections held earlier this month, it initially fell short of a majority. The party, however, managed to secure the mayor’s post with the backing of three NCP (SP) councillors, two independents, and one councillor each from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Surekha Kale polled 32 votes. BJP’s Amol Goge was elected deputy mayor, defeating Congress candidate Azad Khan Aliyar Khan, who also secured 32 votes.

The AIMIM’s decision to abstain lowered the effective winning threshold, easing the BJP’s path to victory. Congress corporators, angered by what they termed a “betrayal”, hurled bangles at AIMIM members, briefly disrupting proceedings in the House.

Meanwhile, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena is set to lead three major municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region — Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar — with the BJP set to hold the deputy mayor’s posts in all three, as per the understanding reached between the two parties.

In the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Shiv Sena’s Harshali Thavil-Chaudhari and BJP’s Rahul Damle filed nominations for mayor and deputy mayor, respectively, in the presence of leaders from both parties. In Ulhasnagar, Shiv Sena corporator Ashwini Kamlesh Nikam filed her nomination for mayor, while BJP corporator Amar Lund submitted his nomination for deputy mayor. The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance enjoys a comfortable majority in the corporation.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has decided to have four mayors over the next five years, with each mayor serving a 15-month term. For the first term, the party has announced Sharmila Pimpalolkar-Gaikwad as its mayoral candidate.