Fifteen days after the saffron alliance elected its mayor in the Thane municipal corporation (TMC), poll politics has not taken a back seat yet with the Democratic Front not letting the Shiv Sena breathe easy.
It was a dramatic first day of the general body meeting, which was adjourned a few minutes after it began by mayor HS Patil to save his party’s face and avoid the democratic front’s candidate from becoming the leader of the house.
The general body meeting was called on Monday in order to appoint members of various civic committees.
The Sena did not have the required numbers to claim the position of the house leader as its mayoral kingmakers — Maharashtra Navnirman Sena — decided to support the Nationalist Congress Party-Congress led democratic front. The MNS decided to look the other way as the Sena had not returned its favour by supporting the MNS candidate in the Nashik mayoral elections.
However, when Shiv Sena’s Naresh Mhaske was declared house leader, Patil had to hastily adjourn the meeting saying the corporation had not received the letter from the Konkan divisional commissioner regarding the group formations.
{{/usCountry}}However, when Shiv Sena’s Naresh Mhaske was declared house leader, Patil had to hastily adjourn the meeting saying the corporation had not received the letter from the Konkan divisional commissioner regarding the group formations.
{{/usCountry}}Even after the adjournment, the democratic front refused to leave the house saying the adjournment was not valid.
“The letter arrived at 2:47pm and the general body meeting commenced at 3:00pm. Then how could the mayor say that the TMC did not receive the letter? We continued proceedings according to the BPMC Act in the presence of the municipal secretary and declared NCP’s Hanmant Jagdale as the leader of the house,” said NCP corporator Najib Mulla.
However, municipal secretary Chhaya Mankar termed the proceedings post-adjournment invalid. “I did not call that meeting. I went there as they requested me to read out the divisional commissioner’s letter. The democratic front did not submit anything stating they had the numbers whereas the Sena had done so,” said Mankar.
Mulla clarified that they couldn’t submit their application as the mayor had conducted the proceedings in great haste.