Tiwari defeated Ramesh Punekar of the Congress, who could poll only 27 votes against Tiwari's 107 in the 151-member Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).

SENIOR BJP leader and corporator Dayashankar Tiwari was elected the new Nagpur mayor on Tuesday. BJP leader Manisha Dhawade was elected his deputy in an one-sided contest.

Tiwari defeated Ramesh Punekar of the Congress, who could poll only 27 votes against Tiwari’s 107 in the 151-member Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).

The BJP, which is ruling NMC for the third consecutive term, enjoys a brute majority of 107.

Tiwari, a top-notch debater during his university days who is known for his great oratorial skills, will be mayor for the next 15 months before NMC goes to polls in 2022.

Dhawade bagged 107 votes against 26 votes won by Congress’ Rashmi Dhurve.

The election was necessitated following the resignation of Tiwari’s predecessor Sandeep Joshi on December 21, about a fortnight before his 15-month term was to end on January 6. Joshi had resigned following his defeat in the Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency Legislative Council elections last month, and had said he was resigning owning moral responsibility for the defeat.

Joshi’s tenure was marked by controversies such as his face-off with former municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, said to be the reason behind Mundhe’s exit from the city within seven months of taking over as civic chief.

According to political pundits, the run-in with Mundhe was one of the factors that went against Joshi in the Legislative Council elections.

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