Flouting norms, BJP nominates party workers and leaders to PCMC panels

The PCMC has eight divisional committees and each of them has 19 members, 16 of whom are elected corporators. Three members are to be nominated from among non government organisations and community-based organisations across the city.

But instead of picking representatives from NGOs or CBOs as per the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act (BPMC) Act, the BJP nominated party workers and leaders who either lost last year’s civic polls, were denied tickets or those who withdrew.

The 24 nominated members belong to MLAs Laxman Jagtap and Mahesh Landge camps. None from the camp of BJP MP Amar Sable made the cut.

Jagtap, who is the president of the BJP’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, said those nominated are associated with various mandals and social organisations. “They may or may not be party workers. But they, for sure, are associated with social and voluntary organisations,” he said.

BJP leader Seema Savale, who is a former standing committee chairperson, however, said all those nominated are BJP workers and leaders. “Some were denied tickets and a couple of them had contested the elections and lost,” she said.

A BJP leader said one of the 24 is a Shiv Sainik, one is from the RPI, one is from the NCP and two had contested as independents. “All of them were active for the BJP,” he said.

Savale said each of them has a political background. “Nobody, not even the Opposition, objected. The PCMC administration apparently had no choice. That’s why the nominated members had a cakewalk,” she said, adding that what had happened was similar to the NCP regime.

NCP leader Yogesh Behl said the BJP had violated the rules. “We are contemplating taking them to the court,” he said, when asked why the NCP did not register its objections.

Savale said the state government had revised the civic rules in 2000. “According to it, non-political persons, experts, engineers, doctors and lawyers are to be nominated and not those with political backgrounds,” she said.

Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar said those nominated had submitted letters showing themselves as representatives of NGOs. “We have verified their credentials. They are representatives of social and voluntary organisations,” he said.

Kunal Landge, who had contested elections in 2017 from Kasarwadi-Sant Tukaram Nagar area on a BJP ticket and lost, was nominated to PCMC’s “C” divisional committees. Sanjay Kanse, who had contested as an independent from Dapodi area, has also been nominated. Raja Sawant, a close aide of BJP leader Amar Moolchandani, who was denied a ticket by the BJP from Pimpri, too, has been nominated.

Pimple Saudagar corporator Shatrughan Kate said Sandeep Nakhate from his area has been nominated. “Nakhate’s wife was an aspirant in the last elections… he is associated with a few NGOs,” Kate said.

Those who were nominated wasted no time in tom-tomming their newly-acquired status as “co-opted corporators,” putting up huge hoardings and also carrying out “victory” processions.

On the hoardings, they have described themselves as “co-opted corporators.” However, PCMC commissioner Hardikar said they were members of the divisional ward committees and not “co-opted corporators”.

Asked if it was illegal, Hardikar said they have put up banner privately. “Their rights are restricted to attending meetings and making suggestions,” he said.

Jagtap, however, said they were “co-opted corporators.” He said they will either enjoy a two-year term or a full four-year -term. Asked about a similar situation when the NCP was at the helm, Jagtap said he doesn’t remember what the NCP did. Incidentally, Jagtap was with the NCP when it was in power.