Pune: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), whose political fortunes are on the wane in Maharashtra, finally had some reason for cheer on Thursday after party leader Lalit Kolhe was elected as mayor in the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation.
Mr. Kolhe was elected unopposed after erstwhile mayor Nitin Ladda resigned last week.
Mr. Ladda is a corporator from the Khandesh Vikas Aghadi (KVA), an outfit floated by controversial Jalgaon leader and former State minister Suresh Jain. Mr. Ladda served as Jalgaon mayor for less than 18 months, after which he was instructed to step down by Mr. Jain.
Political deal
The MNS taking over the mayor’s post is a result of a political bargain to share the post with the KVA. In 2013, the KVA, which was pitted against the BJP, emerged as the largest party in the 75-member Jalgaon civic body, winning 33 seats. It formed an alliance with the MNS, which had 12 corporators, to combat the BJP.
Mr. Kolhe is only the second MNS leader to occupy the mayoral post from his party. Earlier, MNS leader Yatin Wagh was elected as mayor of the Nashik Municipal Corporation in 2012.
Cheating case
Incidentally, Mr. Kolhe has been accused of polygamy by his former wife, and has an FIR under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code filed against him by the Mumbai Police.
The MNS’s debacles in the 2014 parliamentary and Assembly elections and its rout in the civic polls in February this year have caused many to write it off as a major political force in the State.
Internal bickering and haphazard campaigning has caused the party to implode, with many in its top brass defecting to the BJP or NCP.
