The game is over in Bhiwandi! BJP rebel Narayan Chaudhary becomes mayor with the help of Congress.

Bhiwandi: A dramatic political upheaval unfolded in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, where the BJP suffered a major setback when its rebel leader Narayan Chaudhary emerged as mayor with the support of the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party. No party secured a majority in the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation elections, which comprised 23 wards and 90 seats, held in January this year. This gave rise to new political equations and alliances in the municipal corporation, leading to allegations of horse-trading and political clashes.

Voting took place at 12 noon on Friday at the Vilasrao Deshmukh Auditorium, where Narayan Chaudhary received a clear majority. Narayan Chaudhary was elected mayor, while Congress candidate Momin Tariq Bari was elected deputy mayor. In the municipal elections, Congress won 30 seats, BJP 22, Shiv Sena 12, Samajwadi Party 6, Konark Vikas Aghadi 5, and Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi 3.

Narayan Chaudhary secured 48 votes, two more than the magic number of 46, to win the mayoral post. BJP’s Sneha Patil received 16 votes, while Konark Vikas Aghadi’s Vilas Patil (with the support of Shinde’s Shiv Sena) received 25 votes. Congress’s Momin Tariq Bari was elected deputy mayor with 43 votes. Congress and Nationalist Congress Party contested the mayoral election in Bhiwandi as a secular front. State BJP President Ravindra Chavan said, “Narayan Chaudhary has violated party policy. Action will be taken against him.”

Congress’s secular front against the BJP
NCP Lok Sabha MP Suresh Mhatre, also known as Ballia Mama, described the victory as a victory for the people of Bhiwandi. He said that the circumstances necessitated the formation of a secular front between the Congress and the NCP (SP). SP MLA Rais Shaikh said, “We have formed a secular front in Bhiwandi.” State Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal said, “Congress decided not to ally with the BJP or the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and did not compromise on its ideological stance. Some BJP councillors left the party and its ideology and joined the Secular Front, which led to our success in electing the mayor and deputy mayor.”

Narayan Chaudhary rebelled against the BJP and formed an independent group with some BJP councillors. He decided to support the Congress-led alliance. After winning the mayoral election, he said, “You know local politics, I will only work on development.” This political development followed the BJP’s last-minute decision to remove Narayan Chaudhary as its mayoral candidate and field Sneha Patil in his place. It should be noted that Narayan Chaudhary was in the Congress before joining the BJP.