Mumbai gets first woman, Dalit as mayor

Snehal Ambekar of the Shiv Sena was on Tuesday elected the mayor of Mumbai, the first time the first citizen is a woman from among the Dalits.

What was the vote tally?
The election was a breeze for Ambekar, who won with 121 votes against Dr Priyatama Sawant of the Congress who got 64 votes.
A total 226 corporators were eligible to vote. While 19 were absent, 22 chose not to vote.

How did new mayor react?
"I am elated to be elected the mayor. I would not have become a corporator in the first place if late Balasaheb Thackeray had not shown faith in me and picked me as a candidate in the 2012 civic election. Now, Uddhavji has given me with this opportunity.
With their guidance I will make all efforts to solve civic issues troubling Mumbaikars," Ambekar said.
She is a first-time corporator from ward 194 in Lower Parel. It's the seventh time that a woman is mayor.

Who was elected deputy mayor?
The election for the deputy mayor was a clean sweep as Alka Kerkar of the BJP won with 121 votes against the NCP's Chandan Sharma who did not register even a single vote as the entire opposition walked out in protest after Shiv Sena president Uddhav entered the House to congratulate Ambekar while the election process was in progress. Kerkar represents a ward in Santacruz.

What's the message from Shiv Sena?
Thackeray, who was accompanied by his wife Rashmi and son Aditya, congratulated the newly-elected mayor and her deputy.
"The candidates of the Shiv Sena and BJP have clinched the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. We will keep doing a good job for the city and will not let down Mumbaikars," Thackeray told journalists.

Why did some corporators not vote?
Members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) chose to not participate in the proceedings.
"We have been maintaining a distance from both the alliances, the Shiv Sena-BJP combine and the Congress-NCP, since the beginning of the term and we maintained this position today too," said Sandeep Deshpande, group leader of the MNS.

Mayoral election
(Reserved for woman from the scheduled castes)

Members in the civic house: 227

Number of corporators eligible to vote: 226

(Priyanka Shrungare, MNS corporator from Vikhroli, has been disqualified after her caste certificate was found invalid.)

Snehal Ambekar (Shiv Sena): 121 votes

Dr Priyatama Sawant (Congress): 64 votes

Number of corporators who chose not to vote: 22

Number of corporators who were absent: 19

The deputy mayor contest

Alka Kerkar (BJP): 121

Chandan Sharma (NCP): 0

The Shiv Sena-BJP have 110 members and the support of 10 independents. One of the independents, Changez Multani, was absent. But two other independents Jyoti Alawani (ward number 80, Vile Parle east) and Vishnu Gaikwad (ward number 180, Andheri) voted for the Shiv Sena and BJP candidates.