96 former corporators among 859 in fray as Sambhajinagar votes today

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The city is voting on Thursday in the long-delayed municipal corporation elections, drawing keen attention as 96 former corporators have returned to the fray, making it one of the most closely watched civic contests in recent years. Out of the 96 ex-corporators, five have fielded close relatives, while eight former corporators are contesting as independents. The remaining 83 are contesting on party tickets.A total of 859 candidates are in the fray, including 480 men and 379 women. Polling is being held after a gap of over five-and-a-half years. The last municipal elections were held in 2015, while the 2020 polls were deferred due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and other factors, placing the civic body under prolonged administrative rule. Following directions from the Supreme Court, the elections are finally being held, with counting scheduled for Friday (Jan 16).Compared to 2015, the number of candidates has declined, even as the scale of the election has expanded. While 952 candidates contested across 113 wards in 2015, this time 859 candidates are vying for 115 seats under the prabhag (ward cluster) system, with 29 ward clusters formed in the city. The cost of conducting the elections for the civic body has more than doubled, rising from Rs4 crore in 2015 to nearly Rs10 crore this year. A significant number of candidates are attempting a comeback. In all, 91 candidates who either won or lost in the 2015 elections have filed their nominations again. However, party switches, denial of tickets, and pre-poll withdrawals has made the contest unpredictable. Several former corporators who recently moved from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction to the Eknath Shinde-led camp failed to secure tickets, while some opted out before polling day.On the political front, the BJP fielded 37 former corporators, including 3 who nominated relatives. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena gave tickets to 19 former corporators and two relatives, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena fielded 18 former corporators, including three relatives. The Congress has nominated seven former corporators, the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP has nominated six, while NCP (SP) has three, AIMIM 2 and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi has fielded five former corporators.Besides the voting, attention is already shifting to the mayoral race. The city so far had 22 mayors, including 7 women, since the first municipal corporation election in 1988. The 23rd mayor is expected to be elected in the third week of Jan. However, the reservation draw for the mayor's post is yet to be announced and is expected before Jan 15. Whether the mayor's post will be open or reserved this term became a key point of political speculation.As per norms, the mayor's tenure is two-and-a-half years, though in recent terms political parties opted for shorter tenures to accommodate more leaders. In the 2015–2020 term, 3 mayors were appointed, while the 2010–2015 term saw 2, and the 2005–2010 term had 3 mayors. Sunanda Kolhe became the city's first woman mayor in 1995, while Shantaram Kale was the first mayor in 1988.