Chaos On Nomination Day: BJP, Shiv Sena & Congress Face Revolt Over Ticket Distribution In Nashik

Nashik: On the final day of filing nomination papers for the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s five-yearly elections on Tuesday, sharp reactions were witnessed across all major political parties. Eager to reclaim power, the BJP denied tickets to 22 sitting corporators from the previous term and instead offered opportunities to several turncoats from other parties. This triggered resentment among loyal party workers. Similar turmoil was seen in Shiv Sena, while in Congress, angry aspirants locked the city party office in protest. Other parties too experienced discontent over ticket distribution.

For control of the Nashik Municipal Corporation, a triangular contest is expected — with the BJP contesting independently, the Shiv Sena–NCP alliance on one side, and the Mahavikas Aghadi on the other. The BJP ultimately ignored its former Mahayuti partners and declared all its candidates independently. While denying tickets to 22 former corporators, the party accommodated leaders who had defected from rival parties. This led to dissatisfaction among loyalists, some of whom filed nomination papers as independents or from other parties.

The incident of party aspirants chasing the vehicle of BJP city president Sunil Kedar remained a talking point throughout the day. Notably, despite claiming a large pool of aspirants, the BJP has fielded two candidates each from three families, drawing criticism. The party has announced a total of 118 candidates; however, it failed to field even a single candidate in the Muslim-dominated Ward No. 14.

Turmoil in Shiv Sena Too
After the BJP, Shiv Sena emerged as the second most preferred party among aspirants, but it too witnessed intense infighting over candidatures. In particular, the sidelining of Yuva Sena workers led to unrest, with reports of chaos during the process. It was alleged that a former MP and a district chief were pushed during the commotion, though the party later denied these claims.

Congress Office Locked
The situation in Congress turned explosive after loyal party workers accused a party MP and the city president of selling tickets in exchange for money. In protest against this alleged policy, demonstrators locked the party’s office on Mahatma Gandhi Road. Under the Mahavikas Aghadi arrangement, Congress has been allotted only 16 seats. Protesters alleged that party leadership showed weakness during alliance negotiations and claimed that financial irregularities had occurred at some places.

2,357 Nominations for 122 Seats
Tuesday was the final day for filing nomination papers. For the 122 seats of the Nashik Municipal Corporation, a total of 2,357 nomination papers were received — a record for these elections. Among them, major parties include BJP (118), Shiv Sena (UBT) (82), Shiv Sena (80), Nationalist Congress Party (41), MNS (34), and NCP (SP) (31).