Yogendra Puranik has lost his voice; ever since he received news on Monday, April 22, that he is now the first Indian to have contested and won a municipal election in Japan.

Puranik won a seat in the municipal elections from Edogawa-Ku (one of the 23 wards of Tokyo), Japan.

A total of 2,32,177 voters polled 58 candidates, of which 44 have been elected.

Puranik, who is born and raised in Pune, won for the Constitutional Democratic Party, with 6,477 votes. The candidate with the highest number of votes was at 8,269.The current party in power is the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

“It was tough for unlike Indian politics I did not have huge teams or resources. On April 23 , there will be a swearing-in ceremony. We will soon be having training. It is a great feeling. Congratulations coming from all over - MPs of Japanese parliament, Indian friends in Japan, and from India. It’s a great responsibility at the same time. Work starts from here,” Puranik told HT in a phone call from Japan.

Mika Sugimoto, an office worker in Tokyo, congratulated Yogi on social media saying, “I didn’t expect him to win, but he did. I hope this becomes a new history for Japan and built (sic) stronger relationships for Japan and India than ever before.”

Puranik’s agenda includes getting foreign investments into Edogawa; increasing the tax revenue and work opportunities; and public creches for all, including foreigners; among others.

Manabu Neoi, wo works as a medical consultant and lives in Edogawa, says, “I am happy to see Yogi win and this will give him an opportunity to look into healthcare and welfare policy in a better way.”

First Published: Apr 23, 2019 15:00 IST