BMC results: BJP candidate Atul Shah wins through lottery after a tie with Sena rival

Atul Shah won the polls through lottery

BJP’s Atul Shah had the distinction of getting elected through a lottery in the keenly-contested BMC elections. Shah who contested from ward number 220 in Girgaum, a Shiv Sena stronghold, was tied with Sena’s Surendra Bagalkar as both won same number of votes: 5,496.

After holding a recount thrice in the presence of candidates — as is mandatory in the case of a tie — BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta had to rush to the counting centre in Mumbai Central area as the tally didn’t change. As per the set procedure, chits with two candidates’ names on them were drawn, and Shah emerged as the winner, State Election Commission officials said.

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BJP on Thursday won 82 seats in the fiercely fought BMC polls, just two seats behind the estranged saffron ally Shiv Sena, but both were well short of the magic figure of 114 needed to control the civic body.

The hung verdict will reset the political calculations as no party is in the position to rule the country’s richest civic body on its own and alliance seems inevitable.