Mumbai: The newly-formed Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi of Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP notched up its first poll win in the state with its sarpanch candidate defeating that of the BJP in Parli in Beed.
The MVA came into being after the Sena broke its alliance with the BJP post Assembly results and joined hands with the Congress and NCP to form a government under Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
MVA candidate Ashrubai Kirawale defeated BJP’s Ashabai Chopade in a poll held for the post of sarpanch in Sirsala village Sunday, some 480 kilometres from here.
Incidentally, Parli was the centre of a fierce Assembly fight between BJP’s Pankaja Munde, then a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government, and NCP’s senior leader Dhananjay Munde.
Despite rallies addressed by bigwigs of the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pankaja, daughter of late stalwart Gopinath Munde, lost to her cousin Dhananjay.
In a statement after the MVA candidate’s victory, Dhananjay Munde said, “Sirsala is the biggest gram panchayat in entire Parli tehsil. The bypolls for the post of sarpanch were held yesterday and results are out today. It would first such victory of MVA.”
“Kirawale won the seat by a margin of 1395 votes over Chopade,” the statement added.
PTI