01 January,2026 07:17 PM IST | Nashik | mid-day online correspondent
Of the 2,356 nominations received for Nashik Municipal Corporation Election, 277 were rejected for various reasons. Representational pic
Disgruntled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) loyalists in Nashik continued their protest on Thursday, expressing anger over the denial of civic poll tickets to long-time party members and their allotment to candidates who recently joined the party, news agency PTI reported.
The protesters held demonstrations outside the BJP office at Nashik Road, shouting slogans against Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Rahul Dhikle. When city party president Sunil Kedar attempted to pacify the activists, they âgheraoed' him, demanding explanations for being denied candidature for the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) Elections. They questioned the basis on which others were granted poll tickets and accused the party of giving them false assurances.
In a symbolic gesture, some protesters presented carrots to Kedar, highlighting their grievance over the party's promises, PTI reported.
Later, activists from Union Minister Ramdas Athawale's Republican Party of India (Athawale) also arrived at the BJP office, raising slogans against the ruling Mahayuti alliance for allegedly sidelining their party during seat-sharing talks.
Following these incidents, the BJP office was locked, and Kedar exited amid police protection. Security has been heightened around the office, and authorities said the situation is currently under control, PTI reported.
The protests follow earlier incidents this week. On Wednesday, party loyalist Balasaheb Ghuge raised slogans against MLA Seema Hiray and even slapped himself in protest over being denied a ticket for Ward 29. On December 30, the final day to file nominations, angry party workers reportedly chased Kedar's vehicle while he was distributing AB forms.
Meanwhile, a total of 2,079 nominations have been declared valid for 122 seats across 31 wards of the Nashik civic body after scrutiny concluded late Wednesday night. Of the 2,356 nominations received, 277 were rejected for various reasons. The last date to withdraw nominations is January 2, with the final list of candidates scheduled for release on January 3.
In the Malegaon Municipal Corporation (MMC), 808 nominations were received for 84 seats across 21 wards. Of these, 94 nominations were rejected, leaving 714 candidates in the fray.
Upset over being denied tickets by the BJP despite years of loyal service, several party workers have decided to contest the upcoming Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections as independent candidates.
The aspirants allege that the denial of tickets to long-standing party members in favour of turncoats or newcomers has sparked discontent among cadres, prompting resignations in the home turf of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Elections to 29 civic bodies in Maharashtra, including Nagpur, are scheduled for January 15. The NMC has a total of 151 seats, with the BJP contesting 143 seats and supporting eight candidates from the Shiv Sena. Congress is contesting all 151 seats independently, while Ajit Pawar's NCP is fielding candidates in over 90 seats.
Among those rebelling is Vinayak Dehankar, a long-time BJP worker and husband of former mayor Archana Dehankar, who was denied a ticket from Ward 17. He has resigned from the party and will contest as an independent. However, his wife opposed his move, stating she would campaign solely for BJP candidates. The couple's disagreement even led her to temporarily move to her brother's residence to "avoid disputes."
"In order to avoid any more disputes at home, I decided to go to my brother's house for a few days. This is not a family dispute, but an ideological fight," she said.
Similarly, in Ward 16 (D), around 80 BJP workers along with ward president Gajanan Nishitkar resigned after the latter was denied ticket by the party.
Another seasoned local leader of the BJP and a six-time corporator, Sunil Agrawal, is also fighting the upcoming election as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket from Ward 14, which went to a woman candidate.
Meanwhile, Ninad Dixit, a young entrepreneur and sportsman with strong RSS roots, is in the fray as an independent from Ward 22, located in Mahal area, which also houses the Sangh headquarters.
(With PTI inputs)
