Clean city, better transport on KDMC mayor’s agenda

KALYAN: Newly-elected mayor Rajendra Devlekar has a list of things he’d like to do as mayor and he promises to complete it before his tenure is up.

“Top of my agenda are keeping the city clean, better transport and developing roads. I will complete the pending projects. The Shiv Sena has published its agenda for the next five years. I will be sure to complete all of them in my tenure,” said Devlekar, a third-time corportator.

Shiv Sena nominee Rajendra Devlekar, 48, was elected unopposed to the mayor’s post of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) on Wednesday. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Rahul Damle withdrew his nomination, facilitating Devlekar’s win.

Shiv Sena’s Rajesh More and BJP’s Vishal Pavshe withdrew their nominations for the deputy mayor’s post, allowing BJP’s Vikram Tare to win unopposed. The new deputy mayor, Vikram Tare, is a second-time corporator.

“I am looking forward to implement what the BJP has planned for the cities. The party has already started raising funds to implement its projects,” said Tare.

The election procedure went off smoothly.

The nine Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporators along with an independent corporator, who is supporting the party, were absent in for the election.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray visited the civic body headquarters and congratulated the party’s new mayor and the deputy mayor.

“It was obvious that the mayor will be from our party. The alliance with the BJP is for doing developmental works in the KDMC. The new mayor will continue the work carried out by our party. We decided to end our tiff to work together for the cities’ development for the next five years,” said Thackeray.

On the 27 villages which played a vital role in the KDMC elections, he said: “We will remain firm on whatever decisions we have taken for the 27 villages.”

Sena wants the villages to be under the KDMC. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced that a separate civic body would be formed for the 27 villages.

Several senior leaders from both the Sena and BJP were present for the mayoral election.

After the election, the mayor and the deputy mayor took out a procession on KDMC headquarters’ premises with thousands of party workers.

RISHIKESH CHOUDHARY Newly-elected mayor Rajendra Devlekar is surrounded by his family after his win on Wednesday.