In a closely (one vote!) contested battle for Edison Democratic Party chair, Bimal Joshi defeated Sam Joshi.

An ally of the powerful Middlesex County Democratic Committee, Sam Joshi serves as the mayor of the sprawling Middlesex County town.

Local activist Bimal Joshi had the support for the job from local party kingpin Mahesh Bhagia, spectacularly defeated by Sam Joshi for mayor in 2021.

The Joshi rivals are unrelated.

As usual, the chairman’s fight came down to the wire, in this case, a wire of one vote to succeed Bhagia as Edison Democratic Party chair.

There’s a history of closely contested elections for Democratic Party chair in Edison.

Check this out, from 2015:

“Once an outside political agitator, township police officer Keith Hahn has become the chairman of the powerful Edison Democratic Organization after a bitterly contested fight Monday. Hahn beat mayoral aide and establishment choice Anthony Russomanno in a 66 to 64 Democratic committee vote at the Pines Manor.”

And this, two years later:

“In an agonizing duel to rule Edison, one fraught with history, fractious fighting, incredibly strange bedfellows, and ultimately revenge, Shariq Ahmad prevailed tonight at the Pines Manor by turning out incumbent Keith Hahn for the chairmanship of the local Democratic Committee.

“A cop promoted to detective who nursed controversy in the weeks and months following his 2015 take down of the Doc Paterniti-groomed Anthony Russomano, Hahn lost to Ahmad by one vote.”

If it was a contentious contest tonight for the chairmanship, new Party Chairman Joshi doesn’t mind contention, or at least doesn’t act like he doesn’t mind.

From NJ.com:

“A verbal fight broke out Monday evening in Edison as council members and residents left the municipal building following a meeting about racist campaign flyers.

“Christo Makropoulus told political activist Bimal Joshi to “Get on a plane and get out of America” during the loud expletive-laced argument outside the meeting.

“Joshi and Makropoulus began arguing around 8:20 p.m. at 100 Municipal Boulevard in Edison. They attracted the attention of bystanders and about five Edison police officers arrived soon after.”