Few former corporators rebel on the final day of nomination filing

In another instance, former Congress corporator Clive Dias filed his nomination from Sena (UBT) ticket on Tuesday after his party denied him a ticket this year. Dias was corporator from Andheri’s ward number 86 between 2007 and 2012.

With alliances being finalised till late Monday, nomination centres across Mumbai saw heavy rush on Tuesday, with candidates and supporters gathering in large numbers. In several wards, rebellion was reported after sitting corporators were denied tickets.

Although the deadline for filing nomination was 5 pm, candidates who had entered the premises earlier were allowed to submit their papers even later due to a token system.

On Tuesday, which was the final day of filing nominations for Mumbai’s civic elections, members of several political parties switched to a different party–rebelling against their original parties.

Former municipal corporator from BJP, Nehal Shah, who was the sitting corporator from ward number 177 at central Mumbai’s Parel area on Tuesday announced that she will contest the elections as an independent after the BJP fielded Kalpesha Jesal Kothari from this seat. Shah was a two-time sitting corporator from this ward between 2012 and 2022.

“I am loyal to the ideologies of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. I am a sitting corporator from this ward for the past nine years and I am dedicated to my party workers and citizens. Therefore, as a respect to their loyalty, I have decided to file my nomination as an independent candidate this year since I have been denied a ticket from my seat,” Shah said on Tuesday.

In another instance at Dadar, former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Priti Patankar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena after the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) fielded Yashwant Killedar from ward no 192. Patankar was a three-time sitting corporator from this seat. Patankar on Tuesday filed her nomination from the Shinde-led Sena.

Former NCP chief Rakhee Jadhav, who joined the BJP earlier on Monday also filed her nomination to fight from Ghatkopar seat.

Jadhav, who had been the NCP’s group leader in the BMC, expressed her resentment after her party was offered only 10 seats by the Sena (UBT) and MNS led alliance. Between 2017 and 2022, Jadhav represented the undivided faction of the NCP.