Tough fight expected in panel with civic headquarters

The panel is formed by mainly merging two electoral wards currently represented by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Balasaheb Bodke and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) corporator Dattatray Khade.

With both reservations for open category,there would be competitions within all the parties,especially for getting ticket for contesting civic elections from this panel. Sources said that BJP has a strong vote bank in certain areas of the panel. But the party already received a set back on moral grounds after its sitting corporator Khade was convicted in a murder case and lodged in Yerwada Central Prison for life imprisonment. Khade’s wife Nilima may be seeking ticket for contesting election in open category for women.

Meanwhile,with Khade in prison,Siddhartha Shirole,son of senior city BJP leader Anil Shirole,who is having a good reputation,is expecting ticket for Open category. Shivsena’s city unit vice president Prashant Badhe is also interested in contesting election from this panel.

Meanwhile,sitting NCP corporator Bodke is likely to get ticket. For Congress,former corporator Manohar Shinde is considered a strong aspirant. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) too have a few aspirants from this panel who appeared for the written exams conducted by the party for selecting candidates for civic election. No party is having a known female face in this panel. So the local male leaders would be seeking ticket for their wives.