Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
After nearly eight years, the Vaijapur Municipal Council elections concluded with a decisive outcome, as Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Dr Dinesh Pardeshi was elected municipal president with a commanding lead. He defeated Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) nominee Sanjay Boranare, brother of sitting MLA Ramesh Boranare, by 6,248 votes, securing the top post. Locally, the result is being viewed as Dr Pardeshi’s political comeback following his earlier Assembly election loss. Dr Pardeshi polled 18,028 votes, while Sanjay Boranare received 11,780. Congress candidate Subhash Gaikwad finished far behind with 1,047 votes.
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Record margin and narrow win
The largest victory margin in the elections was recorded by BJP’s Vishal Sancheti from Ward 2B, who defeated independent candidate Sagar Gund by 1,286 votes. On the other hand, the closest contest was seen in Ward 7B, where BJP candidate Savita Shailesh Chavan edged past independent Neeta Rajput by just 17 votes. Chavan secured 982 votes, while Rajput polled 965.
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Saber Khan’s influence holds firm
Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Saber Khan once again demonstrated his strong hold in local politics by winning a municipal seat for the ninth consecutive term. In addition, all four candidates supported by him also emerged victorious. His influence played a key role in the Shinde Sena securing 10 seats, reinforcing his position as a crucial power centre in the council.