Shiv Sena's Sharmila Pimplolkar new mayor of Thane
Mahayuti adopts 15-month rotation formula to manage alliance aspirations
Sharmila Pimplolkar of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the 23rd mayor of Thane at a special general body meeting of the civic body, formally replacing the state government-appointed administrator after four years.
BJP’s Krishna Patil was elected as the Deputy Mayor.
There were no other nominations filed for the posts, paving the way for their unopposed election.
“To manage internal ambitions within the Mahayuti alliance, Shiv Sena and BJP have introduced a rotation formula, according to which the term for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor has been set at 15 months,” a Sena leader said.
This arrangement is made to satisfy the elected members, giving a chance to as many as four different corporators to serve in each role over the full term, he added.
The civic headquarters transformed into a site of celebration, with women clad in traditional Maharashtrian attire performing a lezim dance.
A huge statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was installed above the entrance corridor of the Thane Municipal Corporation, which drew significant attention from onlookers and officials alike.
The Shiv Sena is the largest party with 75 corporators in the 131-member TMC. Its ally, the BJP, holds 28 seats. The remaining seats are shared among the NCP (SP), NCP, AIMIM, Shiv Sena (UBT), and an Independent, who is supporting the Shiv Sena.
