BJP corporator Manjusha Nagpure was elected unopposed as mayor of the Pune Municipal Corporation after NCP and Congress candidates withdrew from the race.
RPI (A) leader Parshuram Wadekar, who contested the civic polls on a BJP ticket, was similarly elected unopposed as deputy mayor.
The BJP dominates the 165-member PMC with 119 seats, while the NCP factions together hold 30 seats and Congress 15, reflecting the party’s strong mandate in the city.
On Monday, RPI (A) leader Parshuram Wadekar was elected deputy mayor of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), while Manjusha Nagpure, a corporator for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was chosen mayor without opposition.
Unopposed elections resulted from the withdrawal of Congress leader Sahil Kedari and NCP corporator Dattatray Bahirat from the deputy mayoral race, as well as the withdrawal of NCP's Shital Sawant and Congress leader Ashwini Landge from the mayoral race.
A Sinhagad-based corporator, Nagpure, has a close relationship with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. She has a management postgraduate degree.
Wadekar, the leader of the RPI (A), had submitted his nomination for deputy mayor. Wadekar ran in the Bopodi area's civic elections last month on the BJP's allied ticket.
The BJP gained 119 seats in the 165-member PMC, while the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar and the NCP(SP), led by Sharad Pawar, both took home 30 seats. The Congress secured 15 seats, but the Shiv Sena (UBT), an ally, only secured one.
Murlidhar Mohol, a union minister and member of the Pune Lok Sabha, expressed gratitude to the populace for choosing the BJP to hold a majority in the city's civic council.
"As a result, today, our corporators Nagpure and Wadekar were elected unopposed as mayor and deputy mayor," he told reporters here.
