Setback for BJP in Latur, but it exacts revenge in Nashik, wins in Akola, Pimpri

MUMBAI: Strange political equations made their mark during the mayoral elections in civic corporations across the state on Friday.
BJP faced a setback at the hands of emerging political combinations in two corporations - Latur and Ulhasnagar - despite being the largest party.
In Nashik, BJP triumphed with support from MNS to win the posts of mayor and deputy mayor. It won also in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Akola.
In Latur, Congress' Vikrant Gojamgunde was elected mayor in what is being seen as a setback for former BJP minister Sambhaji Nilangekar. A rebel BJP corporator, Chandrakant Birajdar, was elected Latur deputy mayor after he defeated his former colleague, Bhagyashree Koulkhere, with the help of Congress.
BJP is the largest party with 36 corporators in the 70-member Latur civic body, Congress has 33 corporators and NCP one. One BJP corporator died and the lone NCP corporator joined the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. During polls on Friday, two BJP corporators and the lone VBA corporator voted for Congress, while one corporator from Congress, Sachin Mhaske, was absent.
BJP's Satish Kulkarni was elected mayor in Nashik after a group of its corporators who were cosying up to Sena abstained. With five MNS corporators also voting for the BJP candidates, the latter won the deputy mayor's post as well, with 82-year Bhikubai Bagul getting the post unopposed.
In Parbhani, Anita Sonkamble and Bhagwan Waghmare of Congress, the largest party in the civic body, were elected mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
In Pimpri-Chinchwad, BJP's Usha alias Mai Dhore was elected as the 26th mayor on Friday and BJP's Tushar Hinge as her deputy. Six NCP corporators voted for the Shiv Sena candidate and three Sena candidates were absent for the voting.
Even as BJP managed to bag the mayor and deputy mayor posts in Akola corporation, Sena abstained from voting.