SC order sparks ticket scramble as parties gear up for civic polls
Nagpur: Political activity in Nagpur has shifted into top gear following Supreme Court's directive to conduct all local body elections in Maharashtra within four months. With the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) set to go to the polls after more than three years of administrator rule, political parties — especially the BJP and Congress — are witnessing an internal churn as ticket aspirants line up in large numbers.The BJP, which ruled the NMC for three consecutive terms since 2007, faces an uphill task in ticket distribution. With aspirations soaring among grassroots workers, party insiders say candidate selection will be anything but smooth. "The karyakarta has become just a face for crowd mobilisation, not ticket consideration. Some feel that candidate selection is increasingly MLA-oriented, sidelining the organisation's role," said a senior BJP functionary.During the last NMC general body (2017–2022), the BJP held a dominant 108 out of 151 seats. Ihe internal dynamics shifted in the absence of regular organisational polls and increasing influence of elected representatives over ticket allocation. Party workers complain that despite years of groundwork, they are often overlooked. "The system of collection, selection, and utilisation of party workers has become skewed," added a disgruntled booth-level leader.The Congress, on the other hand, is struggling with low morale and visibility. Its presence in the NMC has seen a steady decline — from 41 seats in 2012 to 29 in 2017. In 2007, the Congress secured 33 seats in a 135-member house. In contrast, the BJP-Sena combine bagged 63 (BJP 56, Sena 7), while NCP managed only 8.In 2017 civic polls, the BJP took a bold gamble by dropping 50% of its sitting corporators. Despite the reshuffle, the party swept the elections, securing a dominant 108 out of 151 seats and retaining control of the NMC with ease. During the administrator-led regime that began in March 2022, senior Congress leaders remained largely absent from public issues. "Congress leadership was invisible," a former corporator remarked, noting the absence of protests, press conferences, or civic interventions by local leaders during the period.The infighting in city Congress was visible even during 2024 state assembly polls where party workers rebelled and contested polls, impacting official Congress candidates' vote share. As election fever grips the city once again, both the BJP and Congress must not only battle each other but also face internal challenges of representation, leadership control, and worker morale.Even smaller parties are also eyeing a stronger foothold. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which had 10 corporators in the last general body, is expected to retain its influence in Dalit-dominated pockets of North and South Nagpur. Shiv Sena, with just two corporators earlier, remains weakened by internal splits but may still contest via both factions. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has been preparing for several years, is likely to enter the fray for the first time, banking on grassroots outreach especially in slum areas.Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena among other smaller parties too have started raising civic issues to gauge public views.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
37 minutes ago
- Hans India
TN remains an enigma for the saffron lobby
As NDA 3.0 completes its first anniversary today, the perennially in election mode apparatus of the alliance must already be working overtime for the slate for the later part of the year. Bihar, one of the states readying for the Assembly elections, is slowly but surely seeing changes, ostensibly in favour of an overwhelming saffron win at present. Whatever that may be, the 2026 elections must be making the war rooms of various political parties working with a different game plan as it is where the INDIA bloc sees its chances. Tamil Nadu, by this time, next year would have had a new government in place. The question is, which party will get to run the state which is now seeing aggressive posturing by NDA and counter attacks by the DMK government. Once a formal alliance was sealed by the Centre with the principal Opposition party and old ally, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the BJP must have felt relieved that it has made the first move, well. Given that the MGR-founded party is facing an identity and existential crisis in its 53rd year of existence, the cobbling together of the alliance with smaller parties being wooed establishes the fact that the saffron party is happy to ride piggyback on the Dravidian big brother this time around. Amit Shah's latest statement that the new alliance will sweep the 2026 polls has not entirely been rejected by the political pundits and as expected, pooh poohed by the DMK leaders. Its top-rung icons say that if the Dravidian ideology resonates with the people, it is nigh impossible for the BJP to set its foot in Tamil Nadu. While a few still consider the earlier elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as a 'lost opportunity' for the BJP to have made inroads into the Tamil psyche, the highly unpopular way the administration has gone about its business has made the average public take a critical look at the goings-on in the State. Dynastic politics – that of Udayanidhi being groomed to take over from the present CM, M K Stalin - is still being helplessly accepted by the party machinery and followers as a 'natural' progression of the first family in retaining power. What is not left unnoticed is the increased presence of Karunanidhi's daughter and the CM's step-sister Kanimozhi in the central scheme of things, Stalin's blow hot blow cold with Modi government and the stench of corruption in the governance of the State which has been allowed to grow (the TASMAC case, for one), for a surgical strike later by the central machinery, closer to the poll dates. It is surely a work in progress for the non-DMK formation, but it is a known fact that the DMK has till date never managed a second successive stint in office. Will they break the jinx this time or will a currently docile anti-DMK alliance spring a surprise? If it is the final chance for the AIADMK to retain its political relevance, it is also the best-ever opportunity for the BJP in nearly five decades to make its presence felt in the state's corridors of power. Whether they can make or mar will be in the hands of the Tamil electorate.
Hindustan Times
39 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana West bypoll: Drug allegations fly as AAP, BJP lock horns
With the Ludhiana West byelection scheduled for June 19, political temperatures have soared as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have entered into a fierce war of words, accusing each other of shielding drug peddlers and failing to curb the state's drug menace. The latest salvo was fired by BJP state general secretary Anil Sarin and district president Rajnish Dhiman, who held a press conference in Ludhiana on Monday. Hitting back at earlier accusations from AAP MP Malwinder Singh Kang, Sarin accused the AAP government of being directly responsible for the ongoing drug crisis in Punjab. 'The AAP government is hand-in-glove with drug suppliers. Their much-publicised 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign has failed to arrest even a single major drug supplier,' Sarin alleged. He claimed that the real reason the drug trade continues unchecked is because some AAP leaders are allegedly offering protection to those involved in it. Referring to a recent incident in Ajnala on May 28, Sarin said two men were arrested with 50 gms of heroin—an amount that qualifies as a commercial quantity. He accused AAP cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal of intervening in the case by visiting the police station and instructing the police to send the youths to a drug rehabilitation centre instead of proceeding with legal action. 'Who gave Dhaliwal the authority to interfere with police work when an FIR was already registered?' asked Sarin, demanding the minister's resignation. In response, Dhaliwal strongly refuted the BJP leader's allegations, calling them 'false, fabricated, and politically motivated.' He said that he had every right to ensure that drug addicts—especially the youth—get a chance at recovery instead of being criminalised without proper investigation. Dhaliwal clarified that out of the six-seven people arrested from Lakhowal village, two were reportedly drug users and not dealers. Villagers had approached him, claiming the duo had been wrongly arrested. One of them had just returned from a rehabilitation centre. He said he contacted the local SHO, requested a fair probe, and advised that if the boys were users, they should be sent for treatment. The SHO later sent the two to a rehabilitation centre, while those actually involved in drug peddling were booked under relevant charges. The minister also hit back at the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), saying they had no moral ground to speak on the issue of drugs, given the massive drug problem that spiralled during their regime. Dhaliwal revealed that his own family had suffered from the crisis—his 32-year-old nephew died of a drug overdose in 2013. 'The pain of drugs is not theoretical for me. It is deeply personal. That's why I returned to India to fight this menace,' he said emotionally.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘Be like Colonel Sofiya Qureshi: BJP's minority wing to spread message at Shaheen Bagh chaupal today
In an attempt to motivate Muslim women to join the Indian Army, the BJP's Minority Morcha will be organising a 'minority chaupal' in Shaheen Bagh, Tuesday. The initiative marks the first such event in the Capital as part of a nationwide campaign by the minority wing to mark the Narendra Modi government's first anniversary of its third term in office The chaupal, according to party organisers, is aimed at encouraging Muslim women — particularly young girls — to consider careers in the Indian Army, including under the Agniveer recruitment scheme. The event will also include the distribution of copies of the Indian Constitution and information sessions on various government programs. 'Through this chaupal, Minority Morcha National President Jamal Siddiqui will inspire Muslim girls to join the Army, taking inspiration from officers like Colonel Sofiya Qureshi,' said Ashu Chaudhary, Delhi State Executive Member and programme coordinator. 'Muslim women will also be informed about their rights and achievements of the Modi government over the past 11 years.' Colonel Qureshi was the Indian Army officer who had briefed the media during Operation Sindoor. Siddiqui will be the chief guest at the event. A camp for one-stop registration under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana will be set up as part of the programme. Shaheen Bagh, which gained national attention during the 2019–20 anti-CAA protests led largely by Muslim women, has been chosen for the pilot chaupal under this campaign. In preparation for the chaupal, the Minority Morcha has reached out to residents through phone calls, text messages, and posters inviting them to attend, a party source said. Sources also said that the event is part of a broader campaign by the minority wing to reach minority communities across the country. 'State units have been tasked with forming teams at the district level to organise similar Chaupals nationwide, aimed at increasing awareness of central government initiatives and encouraging participation in civic and national programmes,' a minority morcha leader said. The campaign also comes in the backdrop of criticism faced by the party after BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Minister of Tribal Welfare, Kunwar Vijay Shah, had made remarks about Colonel Qureshi. Shah, an important tribal leader in the BJP ranks and a controversial figure, had said at an event near Mhow last month that 'India had taught a lesson to those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack using their own sister (unki samaaj ki behen ke zariye)', triggering a backlash from the Congress that alleged he referred to Col Qureshi. While the party has not officially responded to the incident, the minister later apologised and said that the comment was misunderstood and was a 'linguistic error.' While announcing the minority chaupal on Monday, the minority morcha stated, 'In the chaupal, while discussing with the daughters, they will be told about Colonel Qureshi and they will be inspired to be like her.'
