Nashik: Although the BJP had projected ambitions of crossing the “100-plus” mark from the very beginning, it ultimately had to settle for 72 seats in Nashik. There is a sense within the party that, due to a lack of coordination at the local level, at least eight to ten seats were lost.
In particular, a mix-up related to AB forms has been acknowledged as the primary reason, a fact admitted by senior minister Girish Mahajan himself. The party has appointed a two-member committee to inquire into the matter. The committee will submit a report identifying who was responsible for this lapse.
There are 122 seats across 31 wards in Nashik. This time, the BJP was determined to cross the 100-seat mark under any circumstances. As part of this strategy, it decided not to ally with the ruling Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party.
Except for Muslim-dominated Ward No. 13, the BJP fielded candidates in all wards. However, an AB forms-related confusion occurred in some wards in the New Nashik area. Due to the alleged misplacement and scrambling of forms, three candidates could not be officially given party tickets despite being finalised.
Of these, one contested as an independent candidate, while two contested as BJP-supported candidates. This episode became a topic of discussion across the state. Minister Girish Mahajan also expressed displeasure over the issue and admitted that the party suffered losses in some seats because of it.
Chief Minister takes note of the issue
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken cognizance of the AB forms mix-up in Nashik. Following his directive for a thorough inquiry, the party appointed a two-member committee. However, it has emerged that the city BJP president, Sunil Kedar, was unaware of the committee’s appointment.
This has raised questions about whether local leaders have been included in the committee or whether even state-level leaders have clarity on the matter. Nevertheless, there appears to be consensus at the local level that due to this incident, the party lost some of its rightful seats.
