Mahayuti files nominations for chairperson post of four Statutory committee; BJP and Shinde led Sena to helm two committees each

Earlier this week, on Monday, 90 of the newly elected councillors were inducted into the four statutory committees. Each of the committees is helmed by a chairman, who is slated to be elected amongst the members, starting February 20. While the chairmen to the education and standing committee are set to be appointed on February 20, while the chairmen of the BEST and improvement committee will be inducted on February 23.

Days ahead of their appointment, leaders of the Mahayuti submitted their nominations at the BMC and BEST office on Wednesday afternoon with the BJP retaining control of the most powerful of the four, standing committee.

The BJP-elect for the Standing committee chairman, Prabhakar Shinde entered politics in 1973 as a Shiv Sainik, becoming a corporator from Mulund East first in 1997. In 1999, he held the seat of BEST committee chairman while also serving as the leader of the house in BMC between 2002 and 2006. In 2017, Shinde joined BJP. A graduate of the JJ School of Arts, Rajshree Shirwadkar, who submitted papers for the chairman, was first elected as a corporator from ward 167 in 2012.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena’s Sandhya Doshi was first elected as a corporator in 2007. Now eyeing to serve as the improvement committee chairman, Doshi has previously served two terms as chairman of the civic education committee. Trushna Vishwasrao, who has submitted papers for the BEST committee, has previously served as the first female corporator to become the leader of the house.

While leaders of the Mahayuti filed nominations for the chairperson’s post, officials said that no corporators of the opposition had filed papers to helm the chairpersons seats. “If there is no opposition or fight then the chairpersons will be declared unopposed. Like the mayoral appointment, no elections will be conducted with the chairmen likely to be appointed directly,” said a BMC official.