Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, February 12 Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Syed Iqbal was elected as the new Mayor of Parbhani city in central Maharashtra on Thursday, with support from the Congress, defeating his BJP rival Tirumala Khillare by a comfortable margin of 13 votes.
Iqbal, whose party contested the Parbhani City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections last month in alliance with the Congress, secured 39 votes to become the fifth Mayor, while BJP corporator Khillare received 26 votes, an official said.
Congress corporator Ganesh Deshmukh was elected as the Deputy Mayor of Parbhani.
Following the Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators joining hands with the BJP in the Chandrapur mayoral election on Tuesday, all eyes were on the election in Parbhani, but there was no last-minute twist in the central Maharashtra city.
The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, but failed to install its Mayor due to a post-election tie-up between rivals Shiv Sena (UBT) and the BJP.
The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) had a pre-election alliance for the January 15 elections to the 65-member PCMC, where the latter emerged as the single largest party, winning 25 seats. The Congress secured 12 seats.
The Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) combine, with 37 votes, received support from an independent and a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator, easily winning the mayoral election.
Iqbal is the first Shiv Sena (UBT) Mayor of Parbhani, where the post has previously been held by the Congress for multiple terms.
Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Jadhav said his party was confident of winning the Parbhani mayoral election.
"I had earlier said that the next Mayor of Parbhani would be from our party. Whatever happened in Chandrapur was limited to that city. We had a pre-election alliance (with Congress) here (in Parbhani). We stayed together and also received support from an independent and an NCP corporator. We have given the first Mayor from our party," he maintained.
The opposition BJP criticised the Shiv Sena (UBT), headed by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, for its choice of candidate for the mayoral post and accused it of ignoring Marathi people.
State BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban said, "Uddhav Thackeray is taking forward the agenda of Aurangzeb in Parbhani. They take the name of Marathi manoos (Marathi people) before elections, but when the time comes to install a Mayor, they field a Muslim candidate."
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandip Deshpande defended the nomination of Iqbal.
Deshpande said, "His work is important. I believe he will work in the interest of the city. Are Muslims not allowed to live in the country?"
In the elections, the Shiv Sena UBT won 25 seats, followed by the BJP (12), Congress (12), NCP (11), Jan Surajya Shakti (3), Yeshwant Sena (1) and Independent (1).
