The BJP flag.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Mumbai: Around a fortnight after the toughly-contested polls to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, the BJP has won the mayoral elections in Akola in the Vidarbha region of the state - a development that led the Congress to hit out at the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM.
BJP was short of majority, however, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) as well as Ajit Pawar's NCP backed the saffron party.
BJP’s Sharda Khedkar and Amol Goge were elected as the new mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
Akola is the first municipal corporation to have a Mayor after the elections even as discussions are underway in 28 other municipal corporations.
In the elections of the 80-seat Akola Municipal Corporation (AMC), the BJP won 38 seats, Congress (21), Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) (6) Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (5), Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM (3) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) (3) Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (1) and Ajit Pawar’s NCP (1), Akola Vikas Samiti (1) and Independent (1).
The magic figure in AMC is 41 and because of the fractured mandate no one could get the Mayor’s post on its own strength.
In the elections Khedkar received 45 votes, while her opponent Surekha Kale of the Shiv Sena (UBT) bagged 32 votes.
Thirty-eight BJP corporators, three from NCP (SP), one each from the NCP and Shiv Sena, and two independent corporators backed Khedkar.
Independent corporator Ashish Pavitrakar, who had rebelled against the BJP and joined the Congress, extended support to Khedkar at the last moment, while three AIMIM corporators remained neutral, the official said.
The Congress’s Azad Khan Aliyar Khan bagged 32 votes, losing to Goge for the deputy mayor’s post.
“MIM is BJP. This has been proven in Akola, Akot, and Achalpur,” Maharashtra Congress general secretary and spokesperson Atul Londhe said.
Ahead of the elections, the Akola Shehar Sudhar Aghadi was formed comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and both NCP factions.