As Nagpur gears up for the crucial Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the reservation status of the mayor's post. This delay has reignited discussions about past political strategies and dominance in the city's civic governance.
History of Political Dominance in Mayoral Tenures
The current scenario draws sharp parallels with the previous election cycle. In 2017, the reservation roster was declared much earlier, on February 2, ahead of the polls. That election resulted in a commanding victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which secured 108 out of 151 seats, achieving an absolute majority in the NMC House.
With the mayor's post then reserved for a woman from the open category, Nanda Jichkar was elected in March 2017. Her official term was slated for two-and-a-half years, ending in September 2019. However, it was extended due to the Maharashtra assembly elections. Backed by the BJP's overwhelming strength, Jichkar continued until November 2019, marking one of the longest recent tenures.
A significant shift occurred on November 13, 2019, when the state's urban development department changed the reservation from open (woman) to the general category. This move allowed senior BJP leader Sandip Joshi to become the 53rd mayor, serving from November 22, 2019, to January 5, 2021. He was later succeeded by Dayashankar Tiwari as the 54th mayor.
Current Delay and Mounting Political Pressure
Now, with the NMC election announced for January 15 and results expected on January 16, the urban development department's silence on the mayoral reservation lottery is causing intense speculation. This department is responsible for declaring reservations for mayoral posts across all 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra.
The delay appears stark when compared with other civic bodies. The rural development department announced reservations for zilla parishad presidents well in advance. Similarly, lotteries for municipal council presidents were declared earlier. In municipal corporations like Nagpur, mayors are elected indirectly from among the corporators, a factor some cite for the perceived lack of urgency.
However, political workers and aspirants in Nagpur and other major cities are demanding clarity. They argue this postponement hampers critical pre-election activities like candidate planning, alliance negotiations, and campaign strategy formulation.
Procedural Norms Versus Political Manoeuvring
Political observers highlight that the previous term arrangement, where Jichkar completed an extended tenure and the subsequent term was split between Joshi and Tiwari, demonstrated the ruling party's ability to reshape timelines. This was seen more as a reflection of the BJP's dominance in the civic body than a strict adherence to procedural norms that cap a mayor's term at two-and-a-half years.
As the election date approaches, all stakeholders are intently watching the urban development department. The pending reservation lottery will significantly influence the political landscape and candidate calculations for the coveted mayor's post in Nagpur.
The outcome will set the tone for Nagpur's civic administration and determine whether historical patterns of political dominance continue to define the city's mayoral tenures.
