Bhiwandi, Feb 20 (NationPress) A series of dramatic events unfolded on Friday during the elections for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation. In a surprising turn of events, the Congress party has taken control of the Municipal Corporation by collaborating with rebel BJP corporators, outmaneuvering the BJP. Narayan Chaudhary, a rebel candidate from the BJP, was elected as Mayor, while Congress's Tariq Momin secured the Deputy Mayor's position with a significant majority.

The official announcement of their victory was made by the Presiding Officer and Thane District Collector, Shrikrishna Panchal. Narayan Chaudhary received 48 votes, while Vilas Patil from the Konark Vikas Aghadi garnered 25 votes, and the official BJP candidate, Sneha Mehul Patil, received only 16 votes.

The Deputy Mayor election featured a three-way contest, with Tariq Momin of Congress winning by obtaining 43 votes, while Javed Dalvi from the Shiv Sena-Shinde faction received 25 votes, and BJP's Suhas Nakate secured 21 votes.

This victory underscores the Congress party's continued influence in Bhiwandi.

The elections were characterized by high-stakes drama right from the beginning. The Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena withdrew both its candidates, Balaram Chaudhary and Suchita Rupesh Mhatre, in a bid to support Vilas R. Patil, a former Mayor and leader of the Konark Vikas Aghadi. However, this strategy did not yield the desired outcome to counter Narayan Chaudhary.

In an unexpected twist, six BJP corporators chose to break away from the party to support Chaudhary, aligning themselves with the Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) to secure his victory. The mayoral race ultimately turned into a three-way battle.

Ultimately, Narayan Chaudhary received 48 votes, Vilas R Patil secured 25, and Sneha Mehul Patil received 16 votes.

Earlier, a variety of candidates had filed nominations, including Mayuresh Vilas Patil, Pratibha Patil, Javed Dalvi, and Tariq Momin.

During the deputy mayoral election, Mayuresh Patil from the Konark Vikas Aghadi faced a major setback. Socialist Party corporator Shabana Ansari had acted as a 'proposer' for Mayuresh Patil’s application and as a 'seconder' for Javed Dalvi’s application.

This overlap led to the invalidation of Mayuresh Patil's application during the scrutiny phase, allowing Javed Dalvi to remain in the competition.

In the Deputy Mayor election, Momin from Congress received 43 votes, while BJP's Nakate got 21 votes. This indicates that five votes that supported Chaudhary shifted back to the BJP for the Deputy Mayor's election.

Another surprising turn was the absence of Independent candidate Nitesh Enkar. Although he had pledged his support to Vilas Patil (Konark-Shinde Sena group), his absence on voting day raised questions about his political stance.

The recent mayoral and deputy mayor elections were marked by shifting alliances, technical disqualifications, and unexpected absences, which significantly impacted the power dynamics within the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation.

The defection of the six BJP corporators became the 'X-factor' in the election. Their choice to support a rebel candidate over the party's official nominee, Sneha Patil, provided Narayan Chaudhary with an unexpected and decisive advantage, enabling him to secure the mayoral position.