In a powerful display of pent-up political energy, Nagpur's major political parties are grappling with an unprecedented surge of aspirants for the upcoming civic elections. Barely days after the Maharashtra State Election Commission announced the long-delayed polls for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress have been overwhelmed by a flood of applications from hopeful candidates.
A Deluge of Aspirants for Civic Polls
This massive response underscores the intensity of political activity at the grassroots level, following a gap of nearly three years without an elected civic body in the city. The term of the NMC elected in 2017 ended in March 2022, but elections were repeatedly postponed due to legal disputes over ward reservations.
The BJP's Nagpur unit has been particularly swamped, receiving a staggering nearly 1,500 applications from individuals seeking the party's ticket for the January 15 elections. Dayashankar Tiwari, the BJP's city president, confirmed the overwhelming response, stating it far exceeded the party's expectations. "We have received over 1,489 applications," Tiwari said, revealing that the party's interview process has been stretching late into the night to accommodate all aspirants.
On the other side, the principal opposition party in the city, the Congress, is witnessing a similar rush. Abhijit Wanjari, a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) and senior Congress leader, disclosed that his party has already received more than 1,000 applications covering all 151 electoral wards. "We received applications for all 151 seats," Wanjari stated, explaining that interviews are being conducted constituency-wise to manage the large numbers.
Frustration and Enthusiasm Drive the Rush
Leaders from both camps agree that this overwhelming interest is not merely a sign of electoral enthusiasm but also reflects accumulated public frustration over the prolonged administrative vacuum. The polls were finally set in motion only after the Supreme Court issued stringent directives, mandating that all municipal corporation elections across Maharashtra must be concluded before January 31, 2024.
The Congress's interview schedule highlights the scale of the task. "On Friday, we conducted interviews for aspirants from the east, west, and southeast assembly constituencies," Wanjari detailed. "On Saturday, we will interview those from the central, north, and south constituencies."
Alliance Equations and Internal Resistance
The flood of applications has also intensified internal debates within both parties regarding pre-poll alliances. Neither the BJP nor the Congress has formally announced any seat-sharing agreements with their respective alliance partners at the state level—the Shiv Sena and NCP factions within the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi coalitions.
Local leaders from both the BJP and Congress argue that alliances have historically made little electoral impact in Nagpur, where their partners have had a marginal presence. This view is bolstered by the results of the 2017 NMC polls, where the then-undivided Shiv Sena managed to win just two seats and the NCP secured only one seat.
This historical precedent has strengthened resistance among local BJP and Congress functionaries against conceding seats to alliance partners. Wanjari indicated that the Congress leadership is preparing to contest all seats independently unless instructed otherwise. "We are ready to have a tie-up with our partners—the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and the NCP headed by Sharad Pawar," he said. "But these decisions will be taken at the senior level when our parliamentary board meets in Mumbai on December 25. Till then, we are holding interviews for all 151 seats."
A senior BJP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, echoed a similar hardline stance on seat-sharing. The leader indicated that even if an alliance is finalized, the BJP would be reluctant to concede significant ground. "Even if an alliance takes place for the January 15 polls, we will not give more than 10 to 20 seats," the leader asserted. "We are taking these polls as seriously as the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, and there will be no compromise on the winnability factor."
As the interview marathons continue late into the night, the scene in Nagpur sets the stage for a fiercely contested civic election, driven by delayed democratic exercise and heightened political ambitions.
