BELGAUM, March 30: The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) suffered a major setback as Marathi- speaking councillors' group candidates Sambhajirao Laxman Patil and Madhukar Waghmare were elected mayor and deputy mayor of Belgaum Muncipal Corporation today.Patil polled 30 votes, defeating his nearest MES candidate Ashok Patil who secured nine votes. Kannada-Urdu-speaking candidate Hanumant Uppar polled 19 votes.
Waghmare defeated Kannada-Urdu-speaking group candidate Surekha Dhotre, by polling 39 votes as against 19 votes secured by his rival.
Bharatiya Janata Party councillors, who had never participated in the mayor elections before, cast votes for the first time today.
Following is the break-up of members of the council in the 58-member house, Marathi-speaking group (30), MES loyalists group nine and Urdu-Kannada speaking group (17) and the BJP two.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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