Kolhapur: NCP’s Surmanjiri Latkar was on Tuesday elected as the 49th Mayor of the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) in Maharashtra.
Latkar defeated Bhagyashree Shetke, the combined nominee of opposition BJP and the Tararani Front, by 11 votes. Latkar bagged 43 votes against Shetke’s 32 votes.
All four corporators of the Shiv Sena remained absent during voting contrary to the speculation that they would support the NCP in view of the emerging power equations at the state level.
The Congress and NCP are in talks with the Sena to prop-up a non-BJP government in Maharashtra, which was brought under President’s Rule on November 12.
The NCP-Congress (44 corporators) rules the 81-member KMC. The combined tally of the corporators of the BJP, the Tararani Front and Independents is 32. The Sena has four members.
The internal power-sharing arrangement between the Congress and the NCP necessitates election of Mayor after every 18 months or so. The regular five-year term of the KMC ends in 2020.
