The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election has entered a turbulent phase after authorities completed the scrutiny of nomination papers. Officials confirmed that several candidates from major parties such as the Congress, BJP, Aam Aadmi Party and NCP (SP) were disqualified for failing to meet technical requirements. Errors ranged from incomplete forms to missing mandatory documents, PTI reported. Of the 2,516 nominations submitted before the December 30 deadline, a large number were rejected. Delays in finalising seat-sharing arrangements and the late distribution of official party authorisation forms added to the confusion.
Election officers noted that the rush to file papers at the last moment proved costly for many aspirants. With alliances being sealed close to the deadline, candidates struggled to arrange documents within limited time. As a result, even senior parties faced unexpected losses at the nomination stage. Officials explained that scrutiny rules are strict and leave little room for correction once submissions are complete. Candidates whose papers were rejected will not be allowed to contest, and the actual electoral picture will become clear only after all procedural formalities are completed.
Missing caste validity certificates emerged as one of the biggest reasons for rejection. In Ward 226, Congress nominee Manoj Kanojiya and AAP candidate Navnath Lalge lost their chance to contest after failing to submit required caste-related documents. The BJP also faced setbacks in Wards 211 and 212, where nominations were cancelled due to incomplete information and documentation gaps. According to officials, such lapses are treated as serious violations under election rules and cannot be overlooked during scrutiny.
The NCP (SP) was affected as well, with its Ward 109 candidate Bharat Danani being disqualified during verification. Smaller parties were not spared either. In the F-South ward, a BSP candidate was removed from the race after a clerical mistake resulted in the proposer’s name appearing twice on the nomination form. Election authorities reiterated that accuracy in paperwork is essential, as even minor errors can lead to rejection under statutory guidelines.
Independent candidates faced the highest number of disqualifications across several wards. In Ward 109 alone, six independent nominations were rejected, while all 12 rejected applications in the G-South wards belonged to non-party candidates. Similar trends were seen in the T division and L ward. With voting scheduled for January 15 across 227 wards and more than 1.03 crore voters, attention now turns to withdrawals. The final candidate list will be published on January 3, following the January 2 withdrawal deadline.