Shiv Sena wins civic bypoll in Mumbai

The sitting Congress corporator, Vithhal Lokare defeated his nearest rival, Dinesh (Bablu) Panchal of the BJP, by a margin of 1,385 votes, in a by-election held on 10 January in Mumbai

The Shiv Sena on Friday won a by-election to ward no 141 of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in suburban Mankhurd, said officials.

Polling took place on Thursday and the votes were counted on Friday.

Sena candidate Vithhal Lokare defeated his nearest rival, Dinesh (Bablu) Panchal of the BJP, by a margin of 1,385 votes, they said.

Lokare secured 4,427 votes, while the BJP candidate got 3,042.

A total of 18 candidates were in the fray. The bypoll was necessitated after Lokare, who was the sitting Congress corporator, resigned and joined the Shiv Sena in August 2019.

Lokare later contested the October assembly poll from the Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar constituency on Sena ticket but lost to Samajwadi legislator Abu Azmi by a margin of 25,000 votes.

With today's result, the tally of the ruling Shiv Sena increased to 95, which includes six former Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporators who joined the party in 2018.

The BJP stands second with 83 corporators including an independent and an Akhil Bhartiya Sena corporator, followed by the Congress (29), NCP (8), Samajwadi Party (6), MIM (2) and MNS (1).