New Era in Thane: Sharmila Pimplolkar Becomes 23rd Mayor

Sharmila Pimplolkar has been elected unopposed as the 23rd mayor of Thane, marking a significant political milestone. Alongside BJP's Krishna Patil as the Deputy Mayor, the Shiv Sena and BJP have introduced a rotation formula to manage internal ambitions within their alliance, with the mayoral term set at 15 months each.

In a significant political development, Sharmila Pimplolkar of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena was elected unopposed as Thane's 23rd mayor during a special general body meeting of the civic body on Tuesday.

This leadership change ends the four-year tenure of a state government-appointed administrator, and coincides with BJP's Krishna Patil being elected as Deputy Mayor. The lack of opposition nominations ensured their smooth election, as Shiv Sena and BJP implement a rotation system to manage ambitions within the Mahayuti alliance according to a Sena leader.

The historic announcement was celebrated with traditional Maharashtrian performances outside the Thane Municipal Corporation, where a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was also unveiled. In the 131-member TMC, Shiv Sena holds the majority, followed by ally BJP, with remaining seats distributed among other parties.

(With inputs from agencies.)