Maharashtra: 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' Clinches Kolhapur Zilla Parishad Polls

Keeping the BJP led-alliance at bay, the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena joined hands to get their candidates elected as the president and vice president of the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad on Thursday. While Congress's Bajarang Patil was elected as the president, NCP's Satish Patil became the vice president, an official said.

With 41 votes, Bajrang Patil defeated BJP's Arun Ingawale who could muster only 24 votes, he said, adding that Satish Patil defeated Rahul Awade, a BJP-backed candidate.

The term of BJP's Shaoumika Mahadik had ended recently, necessitating the election for the post of president and vice president, the official said. The total strength of Kolhapur zilla parishad is 67, of which one member was not authorised to vote, while another remained absent, he said.

All Independent members, half the members from Shiv Sena and those from Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, who had initially sided with the BJP, switched their allegiance this time around, district Congress president Satej Patil said.

"With the help of Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA), we could clinch victory in Kolhapur zilla parishad," he said.

In the last term, the president of the zilla parishad was from the BJP, but now because of the MVA, both the Congress and NCP got their candidates elected as president and vice president, the Congress leader said.

In the Assembly elections, the party had successfully gotten rid of BJP in the district and now it has managed to do the same in the zilla parishad, he added.