Sena wrests Bhiwandi from SP

Mhatre was the only local candidate among the three top contestants. The other factors that contributed to the Sena victory included the presence of a Muslim candidate (of Congress) in fray who divided the Muslim votes of the SP,the absence of an MNS nominee and the outbursts of Abu Azmi against Thackeray that united the Sena cadre.

Azmi blamed the Congress and the Sena for the defeat. He accused the Congress of playing dirty politics and the Sena of bogus voting.

The bypoll result has come as a setback to the SP in Bhiwandi,where it had lost control over the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation a month ago. The SP was in power in the corporation with support of the Congress. However,in the mid-December mayoral election,SP nominee Tarabai Chaudhary was defeated by Independent Yashshree Kadu who was supported by the Congress,the NCP and the Shiv Sena.

“We campaigned on the issue of development,while Azmi campaigned on communal lines,” said Congress state vice-president Hussein Dalwai. “The Sena got the advantage…They had made the attack on Azmi in the Assembly a poll plank.Why will people vote for an MLA who does not know Marathi?”

He claimed that though the Congress did not win the seat,the votes secured by its candidate has doubled from 12,881 a year ago to 24,599.

In the 2009 Assembly elections,Abu Azmi was elected from Bhiwandi (East) and Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar. He had defeated Sena’s Yogesh Patil and Congress’ Gurunath Tawre in Bhiwandi (East). He had got the advantage of being the sole Muslim candidate.