A day of high political drama in Nashik's civic election race concluded with a significant realignment of candidates, following confusion over official nomination forms. The focus was on Ward 25 (C) of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), where former corporator Harsha Badgujar withdrew her nomination on Friday. This move cleared the path for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to officially back Bhagyashree Dhomse as its party-supported independent candidate from the same ward.
The Root of the Controversy: A and B Form Confusion
The controversy stemmed from the party's distribution of A and B forms, which are essential for a candidate's official recognition by a political party. In a puzzling situation, the BJP issued these forms to two individuals for Ward 25 (C): Bhagyashree Dhomse and Harsha Badgujar. Although Dhomse's name was on the BJP's official candidate list, her nomination was initially rendered invalid because Harsha Badgujar had filed her papers first using the party's forms.
This administrative mix-up was not isolated. Similar confusion in five other wards led to the disqualification of two BJP aspirants whose names were on the official list: former corporators Mukesh Shahane and Bhagyashree Dhomse. The initial outcome saw the entire Badgujar family—former corporator Sudhakar Badgujar, his wife Harsha, and their son Deepak—declared as valid candidates in the Cidco division, sparking internal party disputes.
Major Realignments After Senior Intervention
Following instructions from senior party leaders, a major reshuffle occurred on the final day for withdrawal of nominations. Harsha Badgujar stepped back from the race in Ward 25 (C), enabling Bhagyashree Dhomse to contest with the BJP's full backing, albeit as a party-sponsored independent candidate.
The resolution for other affected candidates varied. Mukesh Shahane, whose nomination was also caught in the form imbroglio, chose to remain in the contest as an independent candidate. In another strategic move, Deepak Badgujar withdrew from Ward 25 (A) but continued his candidacy from Ward 29 (A). Interestingly, in Ward 29 (A), Deepak will contest as the BJP's official candidate, while Mukesh Shahane will stand against him as an independent.
A BJP functionary clarified the final positions: Bhagyashree Dhomse is the party-backed independent in Ward 25 (C), and Deepak Badgujar is the official BJP candidate in Ward 29 (A).
Widespread Withdrawals and Independent Stands
Friday saw a flurry of activity beyond this core dispute. In total, 657 candidates withdrew their nominations across Nashik. However, not all those denied party tickets stepped aside. Two former BJP corporators, Ruchi Kumbharkar from Ward 3 (Panchavati) and Shashikant Jadhav from Ward 10 (Satpur), decided to stay in the fray as independents and are poised to challenge BJP's official candidates in their respective wards.
In Ward 13 (B), BJP's Madhuri Milind Jadhav, who had filed as an independent after being denied a ticket, ultimately withdrew her nomination. Ward 3 (C) saw a mass exodus, with nine out of twelve independent candidates pulling out.
The day also featured a dramatic incident where supporters of independent candidate Dnyaneshwar Kakade allegedly locked him inside his house, insisting he contest despite party pressure to withdraw. However, by the end of the day, Kakade too had withdrawn his nomination, bringing a close to a tumultuous period of political maneuvering ahead of the Nashik civic polls.
