Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
While it is acceptable to form alliances for strategic issues in the legislative assembly elections, the municipal corporations, zilla parishads, and municipal councils elections are contests fought by grassroots workers. These elections have not been held for the past five years. With the possibility of elections shortly, it was discussed in a meeting with state presidents that the BJP should contest these elections on its strength. The leaders also expressed a stance against forming alliances with Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar's faction of NCP in the meeting.
After the grand success of the 'Mahayuti' in the recent state assembly elections, the confidence of all the parties in the alliance increased. Notably, the BJP won the highest number of seats in the state. As a result, BJP leaders now have a strong desire to contest local body elections independently, as the number of aspirants within the party is so large that if some individuals do not receive nominations, it could lead to rebellion. Many constituencies are likely to experience some level of dissatisfaction, and in such a case, considerable effort would be needed to secure power in the municipal corporation. To avoid such situations, party leaders suggested that fighting these elections independently would allow many party members to contest.
No elections since 2020
The term of the municipal corporation ended on April 29, 2020. Since then, municipal elections have not been held. The delay was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the issue of OBC reservation, which is currently in court. Besides, the political upheaval in the state further delayed the elections. Now, after the success of the 'Mahayuti' in the legislative assembly elections, all parties, including the BJP, are keen to conduct elections for all local self-governance institutions across the state.
Demand for contesting elections independently
BJP City President Shirish Boralkar said, “The demand to contest local body elections independently was made to the state president. These elections are crucial for the party's workers, and everyone has expectations regarding nominations. The BJP will field candidates in all wards as per the number of divisions in the municipal elections. The party is confident of achieving 100% success. Compared to the Lok Sabha elections, the party workers and office-bearers in the city put in significant effort, which led to the victory of the 'Mahayuti' in all three constituencies of the city.”