Shiv Sena (UBT) nominates Muslim corporator as Parbhani mayor, stirs political debate

Maharashtra: Mayor elections in Parbhani, Maharashtra, have given a new direction to local politics. While in other cities the allies were seen clashing with each other, here Shiv Sena (UBT) and Indian National Congress contested the elections together and won the mayor's chair directly on the basis of majority.

Who got the mayor's chair?

Army (UBT) corporator Syed Iqbal was elected mayor. He defeated the BJP candidate by 12 votes. At the local level, this is being considered a big political gesture, because the party has handed over the command of the city to a leader coming from the Muslim community.

How was majority formed?

In the 65-seat Municipal Corporation, Sena (UBT) got 25 seats and Congress 12 seats. Together they reached 37, which is a clear majority. This number made the election easy.

Why is BJP angry?

The Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that Uddhav Thackeray has left Hindutva politics. He says that choosing a Muslim candidate instead of a Marathi Hindu face is against his old ideology.

What is the Army (UBT) saying?

Party leaders say that the elections were not fought on the basis of caste or religion, but on the basis of public support. He argues, "How can it be wrong to represent the community that supported it?" He also accused BJP of adopting double standards.

Why did Congress support it?

Congress clearly said that their objective was only one, to keep BJP away from power. Therefore, under the alliance, support was given to the Army (UBT) candidate. Congress got the post of Deputy Mayor.

Is the politics of Parbhani changing?

Parbhani has been considered the stronghold of Shiv Sena for a long time. But after the split in the party and formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi, the equations have changed. Now politics here seems to be more practical and coalition-based.

This decision shows that numbers and coordination matter most in local politics. In Parbhani, the joint strategy of both the parties overshadowed BJP.