Parties get ready to cope with defectors

With women getting 50 per cent reservation in civic polls,male aspirants have been reduced to a grumbling lot.

With women getting 50 per cent reservation in civic polls,male aspirants have been reduced to a grumbling lot. However,they have found a way out to make to it the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) by raising the banner of revolt. Political observers believe that this civic elections will see more rebels than in the past as many male aspirants,including sitting corporators,who won’t get party ticket this time,are ready to contest as independents.

The outgoing PMC general body had 144 corporators — 48 of whom were women. This ensured that the strength of male corporators was not more than 96. However,the total seats in the PMC has now increased to 152 seats,but the 50 per cent reservation for women has limited the strength of men in the civic body to 76.

The strength of men corporators will be less than 20 then the existing strength. This means at least 20 of the men corporators are set to be out in the new civic body and they will be contesting among themselves within the 76 seats to keep their political aspirations alive, said a Congress leader. All political parties are going to face the problem of rebels,he said. It is not possible for political parties to accommodate all the sitting corporators and many of them have started venturing in new area after their constituency got reserved for women or got some other caste reservation.

For sitting NCP corporator Shailesh Charvad from Manikbaug,the ward he represented is now reserved for women leaving him to look for party ticket in Wadgaon Dhayari. I have staked claim for the seat from the new area and all set to contest it at any cost, he said. The new NCP aspirants are not ready to let those from other areas contest the seat on party ticket and the sitting corporator is likely to rebel.

Similarly,sitting corporator Balasaheb Kapre from Hingne has no panel to contest civic polls as his electoral ward got equally distributed among three panels. I have started campaigning for the civic polls. I have been getting calls from various political parties and will soon decide, he said.

In some cases,new alliances are also likely to lead to tough competition. Sitting corporator Siddarth Dhende of the Republican Party of India is gearing up to retain his seat in the civic body. I got elected from an open category seat and the electoral merit is in my favour to contest the seat, he said,expressing confidence that the seat will come to RPI in the seat-sharing pact with the Shiv Sena and the BJP.

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