In a significant political overhaul ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided not to renominate nearly 40% of its sitting corporators who were elected in the 2017 polls. The party released its final list of 137 candidates for the January 15 elections on Wednesday, marking a major strategic shift.
A Major Reshuffle and Alliance Dynamics
The decision impacts a substantial number of the party's previous representatives. In the 2017 BMC elections, the BJP had won 82 seats. For the upcoming polls, as part of its alliance with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP has been allotted 137 seats to contest. The move to deny tickets to so many incumbents is attributed to multiple factors, including ward reservations, the induction of fresh entrants from other parties, and a conscious push to promote new and young faces within the party organization.
Most of the former corporators who have been left out hail from the party's traditional strongholds in the western suburbs of Mumbai. The list of prominent ex-corporators not receiving renomination includes several politically connected individuals.
Prominent Names Left Out and Varied Reactions
Among those denied tickets are Jyoti Alavani, wife of Vile Parle MLA Parag Alavani; Sagar Singh Thakur from Kandivli; Deepak Thakur, son of Goregaon MLA Vidya Thakur; Nehal Shah from Matunga-Sion; and Asawari Patil from Magathane. Also missing from the list are former corporators like Atul Shah from South Mumbai, whose ward has now been reserved for women, those who became MLAs last year, and former MPs like Manoj Kotak, who served as a corporator before his parliamentary tenure from 2019 to 2024.
The party's decision has elicited a spectrum of reactions from the affected members. While some have accepted the party's directive and pledged support to the new candidates, others have chosen to rebel.
For instance, Nehal Shah has decided to contest as an independent candidate. Asawari Patil has switched allegiance altogether, joining the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) to contest from her former ward in Magathane.
Loyalty, Resentment, and the Push for New Faces
Conversely, some have displayed unwavering loyalty. Atul Shah, whose last election victory was decided by a toss after a tie in votes, stated that with his ward now reserved for women, he is actively campaigning for the new candidate, Deepali Kulthe. He praised Kulthe's long-standing grassroots work as an 'arogya sevika' and her connection with the locality, endorsing the party's decision to give opportunities to new people.
Similarly, Jyoti Alavani cited personal reasons for not contesting, irrespective of ward reservation, and declared she is working for the party's new nominee.
However, the move has also sparked visible discontent among the party rank and file. At a recent event in Dahisar organized for a new entrant, Tejaswi Ghosalkar, a BJP woman worker publicly confronted the leadership from the dais. She demanded an explanation from MLA Manisha Chaudhary and former MP Gopal Shetty present on the stage, questioning why a dedicated grassroots worker like her was denied a ticket.
This large-scale denial of tickets, especially in the party's stronghold areas, and the limited accommodation of senior corporators in neighboring wards, signals the BJP's aggressive strategy to refresh its lineup and potentially tap into new voter segments for the high-stakes BMC battle.
