Buchade elected mayor, Patil deputy mayor in Kolhapur civic polls

Congress corporator Vandana Buchade (35) and Nationalist Congress Party corporator (NCP) Prakash Patil (52) were on Monday elected unopposed as the mayor and the deputy mayor of the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) respectively.

The election was conducted in the special general body meeting chaired by district collector Laxmikant Deshmukh. The Congress and the NCP are sharing power in the 77-member KMC.

Accordingly, the mayor’s and deputy mayor’s posts will be given to the Congress and NCP on rotation every year.

Though the official tenure of the mayor and deputy mayor is two-and-half years, they will resign every year in the KMC.

Buchade has studied till standard IX and is the first-time corporator from the Rajarshi Shahu Marathi School ward. She belongs to a scheduled cast. She said water, drainage and cleanliness will be her priorities. She is the supporter of Congress MLA Satej Patil and is the 36th mayor of the city.

Her husband Subhash was a corporator in the KMC during 1995-2000. Patil was elected as the deputy mayor unopposed as the Shiv Sena corporator Raju Humbe withdrew his nomination papers. He is the 31st deputy mayor of the city. Patil, a commerce graduate, has elected third time from the Ruikar Colony ward. Patil said the Congress and NCP will work in tandem.

The party-wise strength after the civic elections on October 31 in the KMC is Congress (32), NCP (25), Jan Surajya Shakti (4), Shiv Sena (5), BJP (3), Independents (7) and Shahu Aghadi (1).