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Bhiwandi Upset: BJP Rebel Narayan Chaudhary Elected Mayor With Congress Backing

A sudden BJP nominee swap triggered defections that delivered control of the 90-member civic body’s top posts to a Congress-led bloc.

Overview

  • Narayan Chaudhary won the Bhiwandi-Nizampur mayoral election with 48 votes, defeating Vilas R. Patil who secured 25 and the BJP’s official nominee Sneha Mehul Patil who got 16.
  • Congress’s Tariq Momin was elected deputy mayor with 43 votes, with Shiv Sena (Shinde) nominee Javed Dalvi at 25 and the BJP’s Suhas Nakate at 21.
  • The revolt followed the BJP’s last-minute replacement of Chaudhary with Sneha Mehul Patil as its mayoral pick, prompting Chaudhary to align with a Congress-led secular front.
  • Nine BJP corporators had broken away ahead of the vote, while at least six BJP members cross-voted for Chaudhary during the election, according to tallies reported from the chamber.
  • Alliances shifted as the Samajwadi Party exited the Congress-led front to side with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, yet the Congress-NCP (SP) bloc still mustered a working majority, and the BJP signaled disciplinary action against defectors.