Engaged in an intense power conflict with the BJP, the Shiv Sena managed to inflict yet another defeat on it in the mayoral elections on Thursday. In North Maharashtra’s ‘banana capital’ Jalgaon, the ruling party got the BJP’s 27 civic representatives to switch over to its side and won the mayor and deputy mayor’s posts. The BJP had a clear majority for both posts till Wednesday, but now it won’t be in power for the next 30 months.

Sena minister Eknath Shinde led the operation, winning 45 votes for the party. He brought the BJP’s 27 and AIMIM’s three corporators to Thane, from where they participated in an online voting conducted on Thursday. Sena’s 13 members were also in Thane. Jayashree Mahajan was elected as the party’s first mayor and BJP rebel Kulbhushan Patil won the deputy mayor’s post.