Nine councillors of the Bharatiya Janata Party formed a separate group and extended support to the Congress-led alliance ahead of the mayoral election in the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra, placing the alliance above the majority mark and positioning Narayan Chaudhary as its mayoral candidate.
The municipal corporation has 90 seats, with 46 required for a majority. In the election results, Congress emerged as the largest party with 30 seats, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party with 22, Shiv Sena with 12, NCP (SP) with 12, Samajwadi Party with 6, Konark Vikas Aghadi with 4, Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi with 3, and one Independent member. No party secured a clear majority.
After the results, Congress and NCP expected support from the Samajwadi Party, but the Samajwadi Party declined and announced it would align with Shiv Sena. Congress and NCP then formed an alliance named the Secular Front to reach the majority figure.
The situation changed when nine Bharatiya Janata Party councillors formed a separate group and announced support for the Secular Front. With their backing, the alliance’s strength rose to 51 votes, exceeding the majority requirement.
The development has been attributed to dissatisfaction within the Bharatiya Janata Party over candidate selection. Narayan Chaudhary had been considered a probable mayoral candidate after the election results, but the party later declared Sneha Patil as its candidate. Narayan Chaudhary and councillors supporting him were reported to be dissatisfied with the decision. During this period, NCP Member of Parliament Suresh Mhatre, also known as Balya Mama, contacted the dissatisfied councillors. Congress and NCP proposed that Narayan Chaudhary be made the mayoral candidate on the condition that he secure sufficient councillor support to give the Secular Front a majority. He subsequently brought nine of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 22 councillors in support of the alliance.
The Secular Front has declared Narayan Chaudhary as its mayoral candidate, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated Sneha Patil. Based on the current numbers, the Secular Front holds a majority, and the Congress-led alliance is considered positioned to elect the mayor.
Voting for the mayoral election began at 12 noon. Attention remains on whether any further changes occur during voting, although the Secular Front currently holds a numerical advantage.
The municipal corporation’s composition remains 30 seats for Congress, 22 for the Bharatiya Janata Party, 12 for Shiv Sena, 12 for NCP (SP), 6 for the Samajwadi Party, 4 for Konark Vikas Aghadi, 3 for Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi, and 1 Independent. With the support of nine Bharatiya Janata Party councillors, the Secular Front’s total stands at 51, which is above the majority mark.
