Mayor’s polls today NMC gears up to welcome new office-bearers after 4-year gap

 

 

The stage is set for the maiden meet of new House of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Also, the first special meet of NMC House to be held on Friday at Suresh Bhat auditorium is also going to nominate 16 members to the Standing Committee after a gap of nearly four years as the civic polls got delayed owing to challenge mounted in Supreme Court over quota for OBC. District Collector Dr Vipin Itankar is going to chair the special meet and oversee the election process that starts from 11 am onwards.

 

As is known, the election will witness straight fight between Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Neeta Thakre and Congress nominee Snehal Thakre. And as to Deputy Mayor post, BJP has chosen Lalita Hatibed as its candidate while Congress is going to contest with Vivek Nikose. Although the outcome of the contest is quite predictable given the brute majority enjoyed by BJP, having a strength of 102 members, plus one of its pre-poll ally, Shiv Sena (Shinde); against 34 corporators of Congress plus two from Shiv Sena (UBT). Thus BJP candidates are going to romp home with big margin is no doubt. The stance of two minorities parties, AIMIM and IUML, would be known only at the time of voting. AIMIM has debuted with six members while IUML stages come back after a long time and has four corporators. Two remaining corporators include, one of Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). 

 

 

All eyes are now fixed on the nominees to be chosen for working on the all important financial body of NMC, the Standing Committee. But more curiosity is now over names shortlisted by BJP for co-option in NMC House. As per norms, about 10 persons can be co-opted in the House and with its present strength, BJP has chance to choose seven persons, Congress with its numbers can get two posts. For the 10th post now calculations are on, and it remains to be seen whether AIMIM plus IUML joins hands with Congress for claiming the lone remaining nominated post of corporator. For BJP, the choice is quite tricky as some of its senior members fell by wayside in the elections and would the leadership accommodate them through co-option is the question. Further in run up to election, the party elders also promised to accommodate the rebels post election.