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Polls today, Mohol likely to become mayor
PUNE Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Mulridhar Mohol is emerging as the front runner as the elected members from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will choose the
PUNE Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Mulridhar Mohol is emerging as the front runner as the elected members from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will choose the new mayor for the city on Friday. BJP leads the 164-member civic body with 98 corporators.
Elections for the post were necessitated after the present mayor Mukta Tilak’s tenure is coming to an end after two and a half years. The divisional commissioner has announced the polls for electing a new mayor.
Tilak’s tenure got over in August, but as the state assembly elections were underway, the state government gave her a three-month extension till the new mayor is elected.
While BJP has nominated Mohol for mayor’s post and Saraswati Shedge has been nominated for deputy mayor’s post, from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Prakash Kadam has been fielded for the mayor’s post.
Though all the opposition parties, including Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are likely to join hands and vote against the BJP nominee, Kadam’s election looks difficult with BJP’s tally going beyond the halfway mark, according to political analysts.
The election for the mayor’s post is conducted under the presence of district collector or a representative appointed by him.
Mohol was a willing assembly poll candidate for Kothrud, but as the BJP’s state unit president Chandrakant Patil himself contested from Kothrud constituency, Mohol did not get a ticket. Hence, the party decided to offer Mohol the mayor’s post in PMC. He was also the standing committee chairman in PMC in 2017-18.
