In a significant political development, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), despite being a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, has leveled serious allegations of bias against election authorities overseeing the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. The party plans to formally approach the State Election Commission (SEC), accusing returning officers in at least three Mumbai wards of showing favoritism towards candidates of the BJP and Shiv Sena by accepting nomination forms that should have been rejected.
Allegations of Procedural Violations
NCP leader Nawab Malik, who is heading the party's campaign for the crucial civic elections, detailed the specific instances of alleged malpractice. He claimed that in Ward No. 119, the nomination form of a Shiv Sena candidate was accepted even though the individual is a vendor for the BMC, a clear violation of the rules that prohibit such candidacies.
In the second case, concerning Ward No. 87, Malik alleged that the nomination of a BJP candidate was accepted without the mandatory caste certificate. "When we raised an objection, we were told that the candidate submitted an affidavit with details of the caste certificate of her father," Malik stated, implying this was an insufficient substitute.
The third allegation pertains to another BJP candidate whose nomination was accepted despite facing an ongoing illegal construction case, which according to the NCP leader, should have rendered the form invalid.
NCP's Kingmaker Ambitions and Political Calculus
While the BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting the BMC elections in an alliance, the NCP is fighting the polls solo. This has set the stage for a complex political battle. Nawab Malik confidently predicted a hung house, where no single alliance would cross the halfway mark. He positioned the NCP as the potential kingmaker in the 227-member civic body.
"If Jharkhand could have a chief minister with just one MLA, then a party with 30 seats will get the mayor's post," Malik declared, outlining the party's ambition to secure the top position in Asia's richest municipal corporation. This statement underscores the NCP's strategy to leverage its projected seat count to wield disproportionate influence in the post-election scenario.
Nepotism Charges and Counter-Response
The allegations from the NCP come even as Nawab Malik himself faced accusations of nepotism for distributing party tickets to three of his relatives. His brother, Kaptan Malik, is contesting from Ward No. 165 in Kurla, his sister, Saeeda Khan, from Ward No. 168, and his niece, Bushra Malik, from Ward No. 170 in Kurla. His daughter, Sana Malik, is already an MLA.
Responding to these charges, Malik defended the decisions. "Two of them are sitting candidates. In any case, my brother and sister have their own families and can no longer be considered part of my family," he argued. He further added, "Party leaders can field relatives. The question is whether the public will elect them," shifting the onus onto the electorate's verdict.
Next Steps and Electoral Implications
The NCP has announced a two-pronged legal approach: it will formally write to the State Election Commission highlighting the alleged biases, and will also file election petitions in the three specific cases mentioned. This move signals escalating tensions within the ruling state coalition and highlights the fiercely competitive nature of the BMC elections, where local issues and administrative fairness are taking center stage. The outcome could significantly reshape Mumbai's political landscape and test the cohesion of the Mahayuti alliance at the local level.
