MVA seizes control of Mumbai Bank beating BJP-promoted candidates

Pravin Darekar. File Pic

The MVA seized control of the state's richest district central cooperative bank, the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank, popularly known as Mumbai Bank, beating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-promoted candidates for the top posts on Thursday.

The Nationalist Congress Party's Siddharth Kamble was elected chairman, defeating the BJP legislator Prasad Lad by two votes (11-9). There was a tie for the vice-chairman's post, in which the BJP's Vitthal Bhosale won in a lottery against the Sena's Abhishek Ghosalkar. Earlier, the leader of opposition in the legislative council, Pravin Darekar, was the chairman of the bank, which is considered the strongest of all district cooperative banks in the state.

The bank is a prominent financier of the cooperatives and private initiatives. Darekar said on his panel the BJP's member Vishnu Bhamre cross voted for the chairman and accused the MVA of misusing power to influence the voters.