BMC Polls | ‘Narwekar forced RO, police to not accept our nominations’: 8 candidates move HC

Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar had earlier denied allegations by Opposition parties terming them to be baseless and politically motivated.

The petitioners sought acceptance of forms, RO suspension, and an inquiry, but the HC refused an immediate hearing. (Source: Express Archives)

By: Express News Service

3 min readMumbaiJan 6, 2026 07:33 PM IST First published on: Jan 6, 2026 at 07:32 PM IST

Eight candidates aspiring to contest upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections approached the Bombay High Court on Tuesday, alleging that Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar “forced” the Returning Officer (RO) and police to not accept their nomination forms for wards in South Mumbai’s Colaba area.

Seeking direction from court to the State Election Commission (SEC) and other polling authorities to accept their nomination forms, the petitioners also demanded RO’s suspension from duties and expulsion from service along with separate penal action. The HC refused immediate hearing on the plea on Tuesday and said that it will hear it in due course.

Narwekar’s sister-in-law Harshita Narwekar, brother Makarand Narwekar and cousin Gauravi Shivalkar are contesting from wards 225, 226 and 227, respectively, from BJP and these wards fall under Rahul Narwekar’s Colaba assembly constituency.

The petitioners include Baban Govind Mahadik, Niraj Harising Rathod, Vaishali Nhanu Gawade, Mahabub Imam Hussain Maddanawar, Parichay Kishor Bhoir, Manoj Dhonduram More, Rakhsana Ahmad Shafik Shaikh and Margrate Da Costa.

The petitioners, through advocates Ashish S Gaikwad and Anirudh R Rote also sought direction to SEC to conduct an inquiry based on their complaints and submit a detailed report along with video recordings/CCTV footage of December 30 from RO office.

They claimed that nomination forms filed by them and other independent candidates from wards 224 to 227 were submitted with necessary documents in the check list along with security deposits to RO Krushna Jadhav and had obtained token prior to 5 pm deadline on December 30, 2025.

“However, the RO avoided his lawful duty and did not accept nomination form of the petitioners and many other candidates, who are willing to contest the general election. The petitioners claimed that it was done ‘at the instance of MLA Rahul Narvekar’ who entered the premises on many occasions to the Election Returning Officer during the said day,” the plea said.

“He (Narwekar) forced the Election Returning Officer and Police and directed not to take the nomination forms of all these petitioners and thereby interfered free and fair elections by misusing his political power and position as a Speaker of Vidhan Sabha. He forced the police machinery to throw these candidates out of the premises of the Election Returning Officer after much waiting upto 8.30 pm till the night on 30.12.2025,” the plea added.

The petitioners said they did not get any response to their complaints to the election authorities. They further alleged that interference by Narwekar was “only with a view to benefit his candidates i.e. his brother, sister-in-law and his cousin from these wards and to help his political party ultimately by depriving these candidates by not filling their nomination forms from the said wards”.

Narwekar had earlier denied allegations by Opposition parties terming them to be baseless and politically motivated.

When the petitioners sought urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A Ankhad, the HC said it will take up the hearing in due course.