Kolhapur mayor post reserved for OBC after 20 years

Kolhapur: The post of Kolhapur mayor has been reserved for the OBC category following a draw held in Mumbai on Thursday. After the OBC reservation was declared after a gap of 20 years, supporters of newly elected corporators from the OBC category burst firecrackers at several places, and lobbying for the post began.The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation elections were held on Jan 15, after 10 years. Since Nov 2020, the corporation has been under an administrator's rule.
Mahayuti has the majority in the House with 45 corporators, with BJP winning 26, Shiv Sena 15, and NCP 4 seats. Although Congress won 34 seats and became the single-largest party, if the Mahayuti alliance persists, BJP is expected to insist on the post of mayor.With the OBC reservation now fixed, there is curiosity over which of the seven to eight OBC corporators from BJP would get the opportunity. The names of Vijaysinh Khade and Vijaysinh Desai are the frontrunners in Kolhapur.Vijaysinh Desai, also known as Rinku Desai, is the corporator from Ward 9. He had won with the highest number of votes and is a familiar name in the city and district.Vijaysinh Khade's name is also in the reckoning. He won for the second time and is considered a close associate of minister Chandrakant Patil. If BJP considers giving a chance to an OBC woman, it may also consider Ruparani Nikam, who became a corporator for the second term too.Other names in the queue for the post of mayor from Mahayuti are Murlidhar Jadhav, Vishal Shirale, Vaibhav Kumbhar, Anuradha Khedekar, Madhavi Gawandi, Pramod Desai, Ajay Ingawle, Ashkin Ajrekar, Kousar Bagwan, etc.Mahesh Jadhav, BJP's state secretary, said, "Party workers feel that this opportunity should be given to the workers who helped BJP grow in the city. We believe that all the posts, candidates, and opportunities should not be given only to the rich. The final decision will be taken by the seniors in the party."Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA Rajesh Kshirsagar, through his party, has erected banners at several chowks in the city with the message: "Dream of Balasaheb Thackeray become true. Kolhapur will get Shiv Sena mayor."