NAGPUR:
Pravin Datke and Ganesh Pokulwar on Monday assumed the charge as mayor
and deputy mayor respectively even as no decision has been taken on
appointing new ruling party leader in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
It was expected that BJP state president Devendra Fadnavis would
announce the name but he ended up saying that union minister Nitin
Gadkari will finalize the ruling party leader in two days.

Maintaining the tradition of NMC, leaders of all political parties,
except NCP group leader Pragati Patil, were present at the public
ceremony. While wishing the best for Datke and Pokulwar, the leaders did
not fail to take potshots at each other. However, all of them
remembered father of the new mayor, the late Prabhakarrao Datke, as a
very strong leader and said a lot is expected from his son.

Former mayor Anil Sole got nostalgic while praising Prabhakarrao Datke
and said many corporators including him learnt about functioning of the
NMC from him. Sole had personally invited Pravin Datke’s mother for the
ceremony. He stepped down the dais and welcomed her by presenting a
bouquet.

Sole further said, “I served as pratodh (party whip)
when Prabhakarrao was the ruling party leader. Pravin was pratodh when I
became the ruling party leader. And now Pravin has replaced me as
mayor.”

Fadnavis, who appeared to be in an aggressive mood,
said the appointment of ruling party leader was not so urgent and that
the media is raising the issue intentionally. “It happens, sometimes
there is a delay. Gadkari is going to finalize the ruling party leader
in two days,” he said.

Fadnavis added that we need proper
replacement of Datke. “Datke was a successful ruling party leader. We
have to appoint a strong leader like him,” he said.

In NMC’s
circle, Fadnavis’ close friend Sandip Joshi is considered as strong as
Datke. On Monday, the NMC was abuzz with talks of differences between
Gadkari and Fadnavis over naming the ruling party leader.

Once
the BJP forms the next government in state, Fadnavis said he plans to
introduce new bylaws like ?Mandatory of Delivery in Electronic System’
and ?Right to Service’ to curb corruption and make civic administration
public friendly.

Rahul Telang, corporator of party led by
former minister Sulekha Kumbhare who worked for Congress in recent Lok
Sabha elections, said, “BJP will surely form government at the state and
also again in the NMC in 2017. I request the BJP not to forget small
parties like us,” he said. Telang is part of the BJP-led ruling alliance
Nagpur Vikas Aghadi (NVA) at the NMC.

In a lighter vein,
leader of opposition group Vikas Thakre told Telang, “You are always
with the government.” After completing his speech, Telang went to Thakre
and shook hands.

Leader of Muslim League Aslam Khan, also part
of NVA, too said BJP was going to win at the state and also in 2017
municipal elections. “But BJP should not forget us after victory,” he
said.

City BJP president Krishna Khopde said BJP was
incorporating and giving chance to young leaders due to which questions
are being raised about Congress leadership.

While praising
Datke, Thakre took potshots at both Telang and Khan. “It is the job of
the opposition group to counter the ruling alliance. The opposition has
to ensure that the ruling party is working properly,” he said.

Sole said the NMC would soon come out of the financial crisis as the BJP
has already formed government at the centre and is likely to win the
state elections too. “I could implement various projects due to
cooperation from all corporators, administration and citizens. I am sure
Datke will take the NMC to new heights and become public-friendly
mayor,” he said.

Shiv Sena district president Shekhar Sawarbandhe and MNS leader Hemant Gadkari gave balanced views in their speeches.

Datke, once again pointing out at lapses in administration, said he
would be able to call his tenure as mayor successful if the
inconveniences caused to citizens are reduced by 50%. “I will take
forward all the projects launched by Sole. I will not engage in
announcing big projects but will take the NMC to the citizens,” he said.

Datke also did not forget to take a jibe at women corporators who had
worn red saris at the mayor election as a mark of protest against BJP’s
refusal to appoint a woman mayor. At the end of his speech, Datke said
he is the first mayor with whom the women corporators wished to clicked a
picture. Majority of BJP women corporators had attended the mayor’s
election wearing red saris to protest the party’s refusal.

Municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane and additional municipal commissioner Hemant Kumar Pawar were present on the dais.

Neeta Thakre, who had led the silent protest by the women corporators,
proposed a vote of thanks and hoped that Datke’s tenure would be
successful.