Surat: Hemali Boghawala, a three-time coprorator from ward 11 was named as 35th mayor of Surat city during the general board meeting of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) held at Sanjeev Kumar Auditorium on Friday.
Boghawala, who has been in BJP for the past two decades, had been director of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) in the past and is active in public life. A graduate in English literature, 46-year-old Boghawala belongs to the Surti Modh Vanik community. Dinesh Jodhani, a Leuva Patel from Saurashtra was declared deputy mayor, while Paresh Patel, a businessman and former president of Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) was named as chairman of SMC’s standing committee. Patel is close confident of state BJP chief C R Paatil. Besides these key posts, BJP named Vinod Patel was Whip for the ruling party and Amit Singh Rajput, who represents North Indian communities, as leader of the ruling party in the civic body.
Elected members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is the main opposition party in the civic body, arrived at the venue shouting slogans. AAP announced Dharmesh Bhanderi as the leader of opposition in SMC. However, BJP leaders picked hole in AAP’s claim of supporting educated people in politics by saying that Bhanderi was just Class VIII pass.