The stage is set for the first on-line election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Nagpur Municipal Corporation slated for Tuesday. The administration is holding a special general body meeting through video conferencing mode wherein the election is listed on the agenda. Perhaps in the country, this is going to be first such experiment wherein Mayor’s polls are being held using the technological advancement against backdrop of COVID-19.

 

The thrust is on avoiding large gathering. In case, the on-line election experiment of Mayoral polls is success on January 5, this could well lay path for use of technology for on-line voting in other elections, feels the experts. For the record ruling, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expects smooth sailing for its Mayor nominee Dayashankar Tiwari during the Tuesday's meeting, unless off course no technical goofs-up mars the same. Woman corporator Manish Ashish Dhawde from East Nagpur Assembly Segment is fielded by the ruling party for the post of Deputy Mayor. While Tiwari represents Prabhag 19 (D) in Central Nagpur Assembly Segment and is senior most corporator of present House, Dhawde represents Prabhag 23 (B) of East Nagpur area in the House. BJP has total domination in the House with effective strength of 107.

 

Fragmented Opposition in the House and on top of that the internal wrangling in Congress Party has poured some excitement in the otherwise routine election. The elections were necessitated as Sandip Joshi and Manisha Kothe had resigned from their respective posts, that of Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The two stepped down after completion of one year and three months as the remaining period of two years six months was divided between Joshi and Tiwari. During first two and half year BJP’s Nanda Jichkar was the Mayor. Due to election and COVID-19 the elections to new Mayor were delayed and held three months later in month of November 2019. As Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is keen to maintain its independent identity in NMC, they have fielded their senior member Narendra Walde representing Prabhag 9 (D) for the post of election of Mayor despite having strength of just 10 corporators in the House. For Deputy Mayor's post the party has submitted nomination of their Group Leader in House Vaishali Avinash Narnaware who represents Prabhag 6 (C). Within Congress the vertical divide that dominated its affairs within NMC since last four year continued to widen further and same is now reflected in submission of forms by two groups for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

 

The Congress leaders are not leaving any chance to showcase its supremacy despite being shown the door in last elections wherein it finished with just 29 seats in its tally in house of 151. One of its member is disqualified after he caste documents were rejected. As part of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine compromising Congress, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) their total comes to 31 with the three have 28, 2 and 1 members respectively. The MVA has nominated Manoj Gawande from Prabhag 33 (D) is contesting for the Mayor's post and in Deputy Mayor's post the combine has fielded Mangala Prashant Gawre of Prabhag 28 (B). The rival Congress Party group has submitted forms of Ramesh Punekar of Prabhag 20 (C) for the Mayor's poll and that of Rashmi Neelmani Dhurve of Prabhag 10 (B) for Deputy Mayor’s post.