Amravati Municipal Corporation Ends Four-Year Administrator Rule with Mayor Election
The four-year period of administrator's rule in the Amravati Municipal Corporation (AMC) officially concluded on Friday, as the city elected its new mayor and deputy mayor in a closely watched political contest. The Mahayuti alliance secured victory, with Shreechand Laxmandas Tejwani of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning the mayor's post and Sachin Onkarrao Bhende of the Yuva Swabhiman Party (YSP) being elected as deputy mayor.
Voting Results and Cross-Voting Dynamics
Both Tejwani and Bhende, who is a first-time corporator, polled 55 votes each in the election held at the Vishwaratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar auditorium. This was one vote more than the Mahayuti alliance's collective strength of 54 members in the 87-member House, indicating significant cross-voting from opposition parties.
The special general meeting, chaired by Collector Ashish Yerekar with AMC Commissioner Saumya Sharma Chandak on the dais, saw all 87 elected members present. Voting was conducted through a show of hands.
Congress candidates Professor Sanjay Shirbhate for mayor and Lubna Tanveer Sayyad Makhdoom for deputy mayor each received 16 votes. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidates, Ismail Qasam Laluwale for mayor and Sachin Kisan Vaidya for deputy mayor, polled 3 votes each.
Key Cross-Voting Incident
A significant development occurred when Meera Kamble, an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator from Old City, Badnera prabhag, voted for the Mahayuti candidates despite her party's official stance of remaining neutral in the election.
"I voted for development. There was no whip from the party leader. I am ready to fight any action taken," Kamble told media persons after the voting.
The AIMIM group leader responded by stating that Kamble's matter would be reported to party higher-ups for suitable action, emphasizing that "BJP and AIMIM are two shores which can never meet."
Neutral Stances and Defections
Thirteen corporators remained neutral during the voting, including 11 from AIMIM, one from Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), and one from Shiv Sena (UBT). However, one Shiv Sena (UBT) member defied the party's neutral stance by voting for Congress' mayoral candidate.
AIMIM, with 12 members in the house, had decided to stay neutral along with VBA and Shiv Sena (UBT), which has two members in the House.
Post-Election Celebrations and Promises
Following the declaration of results by Collector Yerekar, BJP and YSP supporters took out separate processions across the city, bursting crackers and spraying gulal in celebration.
MLA Ravi Rana, who had made a pre-election promise of ensuring BJP's victory in the mayoral polls, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. "Now, under Tejwani's leadership, AMC House will work in the direction of providing transparent governance for the city's development," he stated.
Congress Demands Portrait Placement
During the special general meeting, Congress leaders Bablu Shekhawat and Vilas Ingole raised a significant demand regarding the placement of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's portrait in the assembly hall. They argued that the current placement in a corner was disrespectful and demanded that it be moved to the center of the hall.
The Congress leaders warned that if this demand isn't met, they would stall assembly proceedings, highlighting ongoing symbolic political battles within the municipal corporation.
Tejwani and Bhende now become the 17th mayor and deputy mayor of Amravati, marking a return to elected leadership after four years of administrator rule and setting the stage for new governance dynamics in the city's municipal administration.
