Nagpur: The political games being played in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) are a never ending episode. The political atmosphere never gets cooled down in this civic body. Race is always on and moves are afoot to grab a plum post or another. Now, the exercise to appoint a new Deputy Mayor is in full swing since the present incumbent expressed his desire to go to Standing Committee as its member. The parties in ring to grab the post are BJP and Shiv Sena in the last year of present term of NMC as the general election for the civic body is slated to be held in March 2017. BJP Corporator Chetana Tank seems to be ahead in the race with the active support of former City BJP President Krishna Khopde.
According to moves and counter moves and political equations, Munna Pokulwar is likely to be bestowed with membership of the Standing Committee within a week paving a way for him to quit the post of Deputy Mayor. With this development, a tug-of-war has begun among BJP and Shiv Sena aspirants to grab the post. But a problem of sorts is staring the face of Shiv Sena as the party has split into two groups on the issue of Deputy Mayor’s post. A Corporator of the party, Bandu Talvelkar has already staked claim on the post without caring for the party line. However, the name of Talvelkar is being rivaled by many in the party itself. The 9-year dream of Bandu Talvelkar would also get shattered if his party puts spokes or has another game plan. Notably, when Bandu became corporator for the first time on a Shiv Sena ticket, he had publicly vowed to step into the Nagpur Municipal Corporation Headquarters in the form of Deputy Mayor alone. But the vow remained a vow only as party had bestowed the post to Kishore Kumeria. Now, the Shiv Sena Group Leader in NMC Kumeria, while asserting that his party is not interested in accepting the Deputy Mayor’s post at this stage, said that had BJP wished, the Deputy Mayor’s post could have been offered to Sena a long back. Now, when the post being offered at the fag end of the term, Shiv Sena it is not interested in the post, asserted Kumeria.
On the other hand, Krishna Khopde, sulking for not offering the third term as City BJP President nor ministership nor a plum post of a Board, has demanded the post of Deputy Mayor to his close aide Chetana Tank, a Corporator from East Nagpur, his Assembly constituency. The move on the part of Khopde is aimed at ‘justice’ for East Nagpur as well as keeping his supporters in good spirits. Moreover, by making Chetana Tank the Deputy Mayor, Khopde would also steal the honour as the champion of women’s cause. In fact the day Chetana entered the BJP fold she had been ‘deprived’ of a major post for one reason or another.
Another aspirant for the post is from East Nagpur quota is another BJP Corporator Devendra Mehar. Notably, both Mehar and Chetana Tank are former Congress cadres.
– RAJEEV RANJAN KUSHWAHA ( rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com )
