Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Syed Iqbal was on Thursday, February 12, elected the new Mayor of Parbhani city in central Maharashtra with Congress support, defeating his BJP rival Tirumala Khillare by a comfortable margin of 13 votes.
Iqbal, whose party fought the Parbhani City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) polls last month in alliance with the Congress, secured 39 votes to become the fifth Mayor, while BJP corporator Khillare received 26, an official said.
Congress corporator Ganesh Deshmukh was elected the Deputy Mayor of Parbhani.
After Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators joined hands with the BJP in Chandrapur Mayoral poll on Tuesday, all eyes were on the poll in Parbhani, but there was no last minute twist in the central Maharashtra city.
The Congress emerged the single largest party in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, but failed to install its Mayor due a post-poll tie-up between rivals Shiv Sena (UBT) and the BJP.
The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) had a pre-poll alliance for the January 15 elections to the 65-member PCMC, where the latter emerged the single largest party winning 25 seats. The Congress bagged 12.
The Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) combine, with 37 votes, received support from an independent and a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator, easily winning the Mayoral poll.
Iqbal is the first Shiv Sena (UBT) Mayor of Parbhani, where the post was earlier held by the Congress for multiple terms.
Talking to reporters, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Jadhav said his party was confident of winning the Parbhani Mayoral poll.
“I had earlier said the next Mayor of Parbhani will be from our party. Whatever happened in Chandrapur was limited to that city. We had a pre-poll alliance (with Congress) here (in Parbhani). We stayed together and also received support from an independent and an NCP corporator. We have given the first Mayor from our party,” he maintained.
The Opposition BJP criticised the Shiv Sena (UBT), headed by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, for its choice of candidate for the Mayor’s post and accused it of ignoring Marathi ‘manoos’ (Marathi people).
State BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban said, “Uddhav Thackeray is taking forward the agenda of Aurangzeb in Parbhani. They take the name of Marathi manoos before elections, but when time comes to install a Mayor, they field a Muslim candidate.”
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandip Deshpande defended the nomination of Iqbal.
Deshpande said, “His work is important. I believe he will work in the interest of the city. Are Muslims not allowed to live in the country?”
In the polls, the Shiv Sena UBT won 25 seats, followed by the BJP (12), Congress (12), NCP (11), Jan Surajya Shakti (3), Yeshwant Sena (1) and Independent (1).
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