BMC polls shake-up: Why BJP denied tickets to almost 40% of its 2017 corporators; some rebel, others fall in line

MUMBAI: BJP has denied BMC election tickets to nearly 40% of its corporators who were elected in the previous poll of 2017. While some lost out because their wards got reserved, others were denied tickets either in order to accommodate fresh entrants from other parties or to give an opportunity to new and young faces in the party.

BJP had won 82 seats in the 2017 polls. It released its list of 137 candidates for the Jan 15 BMC polls on Wednesday, having conceded 90 to the deputy CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Most of the former corporators missing out are from the western suburbs. Among them are the wife of an MLA and another MLA's son.

Among ex-corporators who have not been renominated by the BJP are Jyoti Alavani, wife of Vile Parle MLA Parag Alavani, Sagar Singh Thakur of Kandivli, Deepak Thakur, son of MLA Vidya Thakur from Goregaon, Nehal Shah from Matunga-Sion and Asawari Patil from Magathane.

Also among those who missed out are Atul Shah, a corporator from South Mumbai, whose ward has been reserved for women, some who became MLAs last year, and those like Manoj Kotak, who was a corporator before he became MP from 2019 to 2024.

Those denied tickets outright are mainly from the party’s stronghold areas, and according to sources, many senior corporators were also not adjusted in neighbouring wards; that was a concession extended only to a few.

There were mixed reactions from those who have been denied tickets. A few, like Nehal Shah, are contesting as independents, while Asawari Patil has joined the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) to contest from her ward in Magathane.

Some have remained loyal to the party and accepted its decision. Atul Shah, who had won the last election by a toss as he and his rival secured an equal number of votes, said that with his ward reserved, he had engaged with the new candidate Deepali Kulthe for her campaign. Referring to the new candidate, he said, “She (Kulthe) worked as an arogya sevika for a long time and visited the vicinity for (administering of) polio drops. She has been well-connected in the ward, and the party is giving a chance to such new people. I am happy with it,” he said.

Jyoti Alavani said, “I had decided not to contest this time due to personal reasons, irrespective of whether the ward was reserved or not. I am now working for the party’s new candidate.”

In some places, the party’s decision triggered visible resentment among its workers. At a programme organised in Dahisar for a new entrant in the party, Tejaswi Ghosalkar, a BJP woman worker questioned the leadership from the dais, demanding an explanation from MLA Manisha Chaudhary and ex-MP Gopal Shetty, who were also present on the dais, on why a long-time grassroots worker like her had been denied a ticket.