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In Maharashtra, Sena wrests Jalgaon civic body’s control from BJP
The online election easily went the Sena way after 27 BJP corporators defected, and went on to vote for Sena candidates Jayshree Mahajan and Kulbhushan Patil for mayor, deputy mayor’s posts respectively
Shiv Sena won the elections for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor on Thursday, taking the control of Jalgaon municipal corporation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The online election easily went the Sena way after 27 BJP corporators defected, and went on to vote for Sena candidates from a Thane hotel where they were lodged. Jayshree Mahajan won the mayor’s seat while Kulbhushan Patil won the election for the deputy mayor’s post.
In the 2018 civic election, the BJP had got a clear majority by winning 57 seats in the 75-member corporation while the Sena bagged 13 seats. With the entry of 27 corporators, the Sena’s strength has risen to 40. It also had the backing of Independent corporators in the mayor’s election.
This is the second setback for the BJP after it lost control over the Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad civic body to NCP-Congress around three weeks ago.
Sena leaders claim that the municipal councillors rejected the BJP as it did not give them their due. Jalgaon guardian minister and Sena leader Gulabrao Patil said disgruntled corporators got in touch with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.
“BJP did not fulfil promises made to these corporators. Senior leaders did not even know the names of their corporators...that’s why it is our [Sena] flag atop this corporation today,” said Patil, a minister in the MVA government in the state.
Former BJP leader who quit the party to join the Nationalist Congress Party, Eknath Khadse, who hails from Jalgaon district, said, “BJP had singlehandedly held power in Jalgaon, but in the past 2-1/2 years, there have been several issues, including road works and water issues, which made corporators unhappy.”
