Discontent over ticket distribution within the Bharatiya Janata Party has come to the fore ahead of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections, with several senior and grassroots leaders choosing to contest as independents after being denied nominations. The developments point to unease among party cadres in Nagpur, the home turf of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari.
Polling for 29 civic bodies across Maharashtra, including the NMC, will be held on January 15. Of the NMC’s 151 seats, the BJP is contesting 143, while ally Shiv Sena is contesting eight. The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party is contesting over 90 seats, the Indian National Congress all 151, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) 79 seats.
Early signs of rebellion emerged in Ward 17, where Vinayak Dehankar quit the BJP to contest independently. In Ward 16 (D), around 80 BJP workers, including ward president Gajanan Nishitkar, resigned after Nishitkar was denied a ticket. Claiming a 30-year association with the party, Nishitkar said cadres were hurt as the seat went to a non-local candidate.
In Ward 14, six-time corporator Sunil Agrawal is also contesting as an independent, citing disappointment among workers after an unreserved seat was allotted elsewhere. Meanwhile, 25-year-old entrepreneur Ninad Dixit is contesting from Ward 22 (Mahal) with backing from a local citizens’ group.
Political observers warn that the spread of such independent bids across multiple wards could split votes and complicate the BJP’s electoral arithmetic in closely fought contests.
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com