Nashik: Elections to elect chairpersons for six ward committees of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) will be held on Thursday, with the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance poised to consolidate its control over the civic body.
The alliance currently governs the NMC, with the BJP holding the mayor's post and the Shiv Sena occupying the deputy mayor's position. The BJP has a clear majority in three of the six ward committees and, along with its ally, is expected to secure the remaining three chairperson posts as well.
The NMC's town secretary department has begun distributing nomination papers. The deadline for collecting nomination forms is 1 pm on Tuesday (April 28), while candidates can file nominations on Thursday between 11am and 2pm. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place at the start of the election process. Additional divisional commissioner Ajay More will serve as the presiding officer for all six elections, which are scheduled throughout the day.
Polling will begin with the Nashik East ward committee from 10am to 11am, followed by Nashik West between 11:30am and 12:30pm. Elections for the Panchavati and Cidco ward committees are slated for 1pm and 2:30pm, respectively. The Satpur ward committee will vote at 4pm, and the Nashik Road ward committee at 5:30pm.
In the recent NMC elections, the BJP secured a decisive majority, winning 72 of the 122 seats. Its Mahayuti allies — the Shiv Sena and the NCP — won 26 and four seats, respectively. Shiv Sena (UBT) secured 15 seats, while the Congress won three, the MNS one, and one seat went to an independent candidate. Ahead of the mayoral election, the BJP and Shiv Sena had agreed to form a joint ruling alliance, with a power-sharing arrangement that placed the mayor's post with the BJP and the deputy mayor's post with the Shiv Sena.
