Mumbai, Feb 6: Shiv Sena nominee Meenakshi Shinde alias Meenakshi Poojary has won the mayoral post of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). She was elected as new mayor of Thane unopposed as all the opposition parties took back their nominations. Ramakant Mhadvi was elected deputy mayor.
Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, along with his son Aaditya and wife Rashmi, was present for the elections. The Thackerays also conducted a road show in the city following this victory.
Shinde was elected the 18th mayor while Mhaadvi became the 23rd deputy mayor of the city. The Sena went all the way to establish its hold on the city by painting the town saffron. Sena flags, festoons and huge installations were placed along the lanes of the city.
Shinde was supposed to contest the elections against Ashrin Raut of NCP and Ashadevi Singh of BJP. Both the parties had also fielded their deputy mayor candidates, though they took back the nominations just before the elections and let Sena win unopposed after the party won a majority in the city with 67 seats.
Maahendra Kalyankar, presiding officer, said, “The two candidates contesting mayor elections opposite Shinde took the nomination back. Similarly, three candidates from NCP, BJP and Congress contesting deputy mayor elections took back the nominations. Both Sena candidates won the election unopposed.”
Thackeray appreciated the opposition’s move to accept the people’s mandate and give power to the Sena. He said, “There might be any wave in the country, but Thaneites have stood by the Sena for the last 25 years. Thane is like our family, I promise not to break the trust of the people and fulfil the promises listed in the manifesto in the coming five years. It is important that the administration and the elected body work in tandem, and thus we will also lend our support to civic commissioner Sanjeev Jasiwal who has done some good work in the city.”
Meenakshi Poojary, who belongs to coastal Karnataka’s Billava community, is the daughter of late Guruva Kanthappa Poojary from Enagudde village near Katapady in Udupi district.
Jaya C Suvarna, president of All India Billava Federation and chairman of The Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai) Limited, and other Billava community leaders in Maharashtra such as Nityanada D Kotyan, Rohit M Suvarna, Laxman Poojary, Thonse Sanjeev Poojary and Rohini J Salian have congratulated the new Mayor.
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