Nagpur: Winning habit does not necessarily showcase as an asset for candidature of an election if the BJP think tank makes us to believe. Winners sometimes could turn “losers” in one way or another. This is what the stalwarts of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of city unit are deliberating at length. Those BJP Corporators who won the NMC elections for consecutive three times or who won more than thrice may be denied tickets in the next election (2017) but their ‘good qualities’ would be utilised for strengthening the organisation. The party is thinking of throwing new blood in the election ring. If everything goes according to plan then the entry of senior or winning Corporators into NMC corrodors would be barred in the next election.
Even though the NMC election is almost an year away but race for the ticket among the aspirants in in full swing. The present Corporators too have become active and flexing their muscles for the tickets. This time, as usual, Devendra Fadnavis and Nitin Gadkari will decide the party candidates. However, the task will not be easy one. It will be a herculean task as the number of aspirants outnumber the fixed tickets. More than five aspirants are in the line in each ward or Prabhag.
But speculations are rife that the party this time would clip the wings of high-flying Corporators who won the elections for consecutive three times or who won more than thrice. In their place, other loyal office-bearers or workers of respective wards could be bestowed with the tickets in order to strengthen the organisation. If this formula is adopted by the BJP, existence of many bigwig Corporators of the party in NMC would be in peril.
On the other hand, confusion galore over the system in which the next NMC elections would be conducted – Ward system or Prabhag system. The BJP-led Government in State is still in flip-flop mode as far as system is concerned. In both the syestems the local BJP leaders are seeing a red. If the poll is held on Prabhag basis, the thinking is on to whether the Prabhag be made of three wards or four wards. Confusion is at its peak. If a Prabhag is made of four wards then the selection of candidates would have to be made on the lines of Assembly election. It will be a costly affair in all sense, political as well as financial. All said and done, the other major parties including Congress have focused their eyes on the moves of BJP.
– RAJEEV RANJAN KUSHWAHA ( rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com )
