BJP, Shiv Sena win civic bypolls in Nashik

Dinkar Dharma Patil of BJP was on Monday declared elected in a by-poll to Nashik Municipal Corporation, defeating Congress-NCP alliance candidate Sadashiv Mali by a margin of 6,945 votes, NMC sources said.

BJP's ally Shiv Sena won from another ward, which also saw by-election on Sunday. Patil, who won from ward no. 17-A, polled 8,742 votes while Mali got 1,797 and Independent candidate Sunil Shendre secured 373 ballots.

The seat fell vacant after Patil, the then sitting Corporator of Congress, left the party and joined Bahujan Samaj Party to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Nashik.

Patil lost the Parliamentary election and later joined the BJP and contested again from the ward.

In ward no. 61-A, Shiv Sena candidate Keshav Porje was declared elected in a triangular fight. Porje defeated his rival, Congress-NCP nominee Ravindra Handore, by a margin of 2,994 votes.

The Sena leader polled 5,364 votes, Handore got 2,370, while Independent candidate Popatrao Hagvane netted 1,049 votes, the sources said.

The ward fell vacant when then sitting Corporator of MNS, Hemant Godse, left the party and joined Shiv Sena, on whose ticket he fought and won the Lok Sabha election from Nashik constituency in April.

Godse, in fact, emerged as one of the giant killers in Maharashtra as he defeated NCP heavyweight and PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal.