Nagpur: Their goal always might not be to win the election. But they add colour to the poll ring. And when it comes to show of strength, they meant business. They are independent candidates. The scenario of NMC poll more or less in on the same lines. A cursory glance at the candidates of civic body poll would reveal many rebels of BJP, Congress and other parties are fighting the election battle. Even though the two major parties succeeded in convincing many of the rebels to withdraw from the contest but still the arena is dotted with a number of bigwigs from major parties including BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena, NCP who are in the ring as independent candidates.
The target of these rebels is clear in more ways than one. Show of strength is a clear message to their respective parties. These rebellious independents know very well that in the Prabhag system winning the NMC poll could be a herculean task if not impossible. But they are grabbing a chance to show what strength they possess may be for future “deals.”
10 independents romped home in 2012 poll:
In the 2012 NMC election, 10 independents had succeeded in winning the contest. But at that time, the NMC elections were conducted on ward system. This time the civic body election is being held under 4-member Prabhag system. In this scenario, winning a seat would prove a mountainous task.
Focus on these independent candidates:
Many of the “loyal” workers were denied tickets by their respective parties such as BJP, Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and BSP. They expressed their disappointment at leaderships and revolted in a big way as well. The parties struggled to convince the rebels and succeeded too but partially. BJP’s Shripad Risaldar, Vishakha Joshi, Vishakha Maind, Prasanna Paturkar, Pankaj Patel, Dattatray Pitale, Anil Dhawde to name a few are still in the fray as independents.
On the other hand, Congress is also sailing in the same boat. The party’s known faces such as Deepak Kapse, Kishore Dorle, Arun Davre, Rajesh Jargar, Kusum Ghate, Mamata Gedam, Philip Jaiswal and others have stuck to their rebellious stance and are still in the battlefield.
Independents may spoil BJP, Congress party:
According to political experts, these eminent independents threaten to spoil party of BJP and Congress in the form of loss of few seats. These rebels may not win the contest but could add colour to poll fever. They might cut the share of votes of their parent parties. But on one point these rebels would certainly emerge victors – show of strength. And they meant business on this front.
