BJP wins with thumping majority in four bypolls
As expected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the byelection in Bhandup, Pune, Kolhapur and Nagpur municipal corporation polls.
The BJP and its allies Tararani Aghadi Paksha (Kolhapur) and Republican Party of India (Athawale) faction mopped up four seats in Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolhapur and Pune municipal corporations.
In the byelection in Nagpur municipal corporation, BJP’s Sandip Gavai won from ward number 35-A polling 5,711 votes. In Kolhapur municipal corporation, BJP-Tararani Aghadi Paksha candidate Ratnesh Shirolkar won from ward number 11, polling 1,399 votes.
In Pune municipal corporation byelection, BJPRPI-A alliance candidate Himali Navnath Kamble won from ward number 21-A, polling 7,899 votes.
The victory of BJP’s Jagruti Pratik Patil, who defeated her nearest Sena rival Meenakshi Patil in byelection to ward number 116 (Bhandup) in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has prompted BJP Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai-North East Dr Kirit Somaiya remark that the BJP will soon inch ahead of the Sena in numerical tally in the BMC and will soon have BJP mayor in BMC.
An upbeat Somaiya sarcastically remarked: “Will the arrogance of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray mellow down now at least”.
He argued that the current numerical tally of 84 seats of Sena and 83 of BJP in the BMC will soon change and reverse in favor of the BJP.
“We shall soon have our Mayor in BMC. Last time we let them off the hook. Now we shall inch ahead of them soon”, added Somaiya. However, as per the actual current tally in the BMC the Sena has 84 corporators and BJP 82. One seat held by BJP has fallen vacant due to the recent demise of its sitting senior corporator Shailaja Girkar from Kandivali.