Cong candidate romps home in Sion-Koliwada

MUMBAI, Nov 30: Counting for the civic by-elections held in two wards witnessed a keen tussle between the Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.

Congress candidate Jasbir Singh Manektala romped home in Ward 46, comprising the Sion Koliwada-Rawli Camp areas, defeating his nearest rival Laxminarayan Bhatia of the BJP by over 2,000 votes. He received 6,541 of the 12,622 votes polled in this ward, while Bhatia got only 4,173 votes. Former Congress corporator Rustom Tirandaz, who stood as an Independent, received only 341 votes.

Ward 46, which has a majority Sikh population, has traditionally been the bastion of Sohan Singh Kohli of the JD, until his death this year.Ward 52, which fell vacant after sitting corporator Kedari Redekar of the Shiv Sena was shot dead in March this year, saw a neck-to-neck fight between the Sena’s Prabhakar Shelar and Anand Bhosale of the Congress. Shelar won with 4,446 votes, while Bhosale polled 3,542 votes and former JD Corporator Vivek Khadye 2,929 of the total13,553 votes.