BJP’s Jagdish Patel is new mayor of Surat, Ex-VHP leader wins post in Bhavnagar

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Jagdish Patel of the BJP was elected mayor of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Thursday for the remaining two-and-half-year term. The BJP, which has 80 councillors in the 116-members SMC, also got its members elected to other posts of the civic body. While Nirav Shah was elected deputy mayor, Anil Goplani became the standing committee chairman. The BJP once again nominated Girijashanker Mishra as ruling party leader and Daksha Jariwala as party whip.

Patel, a Patidar, is an ayurvedic doctor and a trustee of Kiran Hospital, run by Surat builders and diamond traders. For the last 25 years, he has been winning consistently from Katargam ward number 6. The BJP once again nominated a Patidar to head the civic body after it received a setback in 2015 municipal polls with candidates facing defeat in Patidar-dominated areas of the city in the wake of the quota movement led by Hardik Patel.

Bhavnagar: Ex-VHP leader wins Mayor post

Manhar Mori, considered close to senior BJP leader Sunil Oza, was elected mayor of Bhavnagar city on Thursday by getting 36 of the total 52 votes. A Khava Rajput, Mori replaces Nimuben Bambhaniya, who hails from Koli community. This is considered a promotion for Mori, who has served as deputy mayor since 2015. Ashok Baraiya has been elected his deputy.

Mori was associated with Vishwa Hindu Parishad before he joined the BJP. He secured a BJP ticket for contesting election to Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2005. Since then, the 49-year-old politician has repeatedly been nominated and he is currently serving his third term as BJP corporator. In the last elections, he won from ward number 7 in Pirchhalla area of Bhavnagar city.