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Sena candidates elected mayor and deputy mayor with BJP support

The mayoral election marks a coming together of the two estranged allies after contesting the civic polls separately.

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It is hard to figure out who the mayor is as Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s wife Rashmi Thackeray takes centre stage during the victory rally to celebrate the election of party candidates Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and Hemangi Worlikar as mayor and deputy mayor of Mumbai respectively on Wednesday. A sign of things to come?
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For the first time, Shiv Sena got its candidates elected to the posts of both mayor and deputy mayor as the Bharatiya Janata Party supported it in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday.

The mayoral election marks a coming together of the two estranged allies after contesting the civic polls separately.

Though the BJP had earlier claimed that it would vote only if the Shiv Sena candidate needed their support, on Wednesday, party members voted for Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and Hemangi Worlikar, Shiv Sena's mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates respectively. Mahadeshwar polled 171 votes against his Congress rival Vitthal Lokare who got 31 votes. Worlikar polled 166 votes against her Congress rival Winnifred D'souza who got 31 votes. Five votes were declared invalid.

Mahadeshwar is the 76th mayor of the city. The 56-year-old third-time corporator had earlier served as Chairman of BMC's Education Committee and was also a member of the Standing Committee.

The BJP did not seek any post in lieu of its support to Sena. It, instead claimed that it chose to be the 'guardian of transparency' in the BMC and that it would keep a watch on all the decisions taken by the Sena-led civic administration.

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray later addressed a rally orgainsed at party headquarters as a show of strength. Speaking on the occasion, Thackeray said that the party was never scared of 'anyone' and that the Marathi voters and Shiv Sainiks have amply proved their strength.

"Mumbai's Marathi manoos (Marathi-speaking people) and Shiv Sainiks have reposed their faith in Shiv Sena and the party will never let them down. We have got the direction and we will work for the betterment of the city. We have proved that Shiv Sena never succumbs to pressures from any party. This the fifth time that a Shiv Sena mayor has been elected and this time even the deputy mayor is ours,\" said Thackeray.

After addressing the supporters, while the Sena corporators went to Hutatma Chowk in an open-air bus from BMC headquarters, Thackeray and his son Aditya followed them in the vehicles. The newly elected mayor, deputy mayor, Thackeray's wife Rashmi and younger son Tejas travelled in a decorated open jeep. Other leaders such as Arvind Sawant, Anil Parab, Anil Desai, Subhash Desai, Aadesh Bandekar and Neelam Gorhe went in other vehicles.

Sena leaders were also present in the viewing gallery of the corporation hall during the election process that went on for six hours.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) with seven elected corporators decided to boycott the mayoral election accusing Shiv Sena and BJP of fooling the voters by supporting each other for 'lust of power'. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM)and independents also did not vote.

Members for all four statutory committees - Standing Committee, Education Committee, BEST Committee and Improvement Committee – were also announced by the new mayor.

Earlier, before reaching the BMC headquarters, BJP corporators went to Hutatma Chowk to pay tribute to martyrs who laid their life for united Maharashtra. all the 82 elected members entered the corporation hall with loud slogans praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. While Shiv Sena members took time to realise, the senior members from Shiv Sena were quick to react and started slogans praising Shiv Sena. For sometime there was melee in the corporation hall as both the parties were trying to raise their voice each time they shouted the slogans.

After deciding to go solo in civic elections on February 21, 2017, the Shiv Sena had highest number of 84 elected member, four independent corporators including two Shiv Sena rebel extended their support reaching the tally of 88, BJP had 82 elected members and support from two independents. While there was a stalemate between the two estranged allies for sometime, the core committee comprising of senior BJP leaders along with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, after consultation with Party's national President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to extend the support after checking all the political equations at the State level. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had hinted that his 62 MLAs including ministers in the Government of Maharashtra will plug out the support extended to the BJP.

Manoj Kotak, BJP leader in the BMC said that they extended support to the Shiv Sena in the BMC so that the city gets a stable government and the civic administration runs smoothly. "Though we have extended support for the mayor's election, we will act as guardians of transparency and keep a check on the Shiv Sena's functioning in the BMC," said Kotak.

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