Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The last elections to the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) were held in 2015. Although the next polls were expected in 2020, they were delayed, and the corporation elections are now likely to be held in the coming months.
Political parties across the state have begun preparations after the local elections. Former corporators and new aspirants are seeking nominations from various parties, leading to intense competition for candidature. With rebels, entrants from rival parties and many independents also in the fray, choosing suitable candidates has become a major challenge for party leadership.
A total of 1,440 aspirants have submitted forms for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (Ajit Pawar faction), and the Republican Party of India (Athawale faction) in the Mahayuti alliance. Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) has yet to begin its selection process.
For the Mahavikas Aghadi, 555 aspirants have filed forms, including 430 from the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), 125 from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the remainder from the Congress.
RPI (Athawale) city president Nagraj Gaikwad said that as an ally of Mahayuti, the party has demanded 15 seats and has 80 aspirants. He said preparations are now in the final stages.
Both Shiv Sena (UBT) and Shiv Sena (Shinde) have yet to begin accepting forms, but the process is expected soon. Several Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders in the city have switched to other parties. Most former corporators have joined Shiv Sena (Shinde). However, Shiv Sena (Shinde) is also now experiencing attrition, with several leaders moving to the BJP.
The BJP accepted forms on Dec 7 and Dec 8, and 1,120 aspirants applied. BJP city president Kishor Shitole said that with many people eager to contest, selecting the right candidate will be a challenge.
Meanwhile, the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) has received 240 forms, the MNS more than 125, Congress around 250, the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) 180 and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi 250. AIMIM has not yet started its process for accepting applications.
