Civic polls: Car chases, crematorium drama cap nomination chaos in Maharashtra

Maharashtra witnessed a wave of unrest across political parties, marked by dramatic scenes in Nashik and Nagpur, and growing dissent in Mumbai, Jalgaon, and other cities over ticket distribution for civic polls as nominations for the January 15 elections ended on Tuesday.

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Voters across 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and Thane, will elect their corporators in the long-delayed polls for Maharashtra’s biggest cities.

Nashik emerged as a flashpoint on the final day of filing nominations as disgruntled BJP aspirants allegedly chased vehicles carrying AB forms (issued to official party candidates) on city roads. The car of city BJP president Sunil Kedar was reportedly pursued by ticket seekers on the Nashik-Mumbai highway. The convoy also included cars belonging to BJP MLAs Rahul Dhikle and Seema Hiray, party sources said.

In Nashik’s ward number 26, a heated argument broke out between BJP office-bearer Kailas Ahire and MLA Seema Hiray over AB forms. Ahire accused the MLA of attempting to cut his ticket. Aspirants from areas such as Panchavati and New CIDCO also staged protests, alleging loyal workers were being sidelined in favour of newcomers.

The BJP’s decision to field Riddhish Nimse, son of former corporator Uddhav Nimse, currently in jail in a murder case, further added to the controversy in Nashik. Senior BJP leader and district guardian minister Girish Mahajan said, “What happened was not appropriate. We have made commitments to workers who joined the BJP recently, and we had to keep our word. Compared to the actual number of available seats, the number of aspirants was far higher.”