More than 20 corporators to get a shot at MLA post

While the top state leadership of the Shiv Sena BJP Congress and NCP were probably sitting on their sofas with buckets of ice cream yesterday trying to get over their alltoofresh break ups corporators were popping the bubblyFrom left Corporators Ram Barot and Ameet Satam from the BJP and Rakhi Jadhav from the NCP will get a chance to contest in the assembly elections because of the split in their respective alliancesThe fact that the parties will now go it alone has given many of them an opportunity to climb to the next step in the political ladder and become an MLANearly two dozen corporators from the big five in the state Sena BJP Congress NCP and MNS are slated to get tickets and at least seven of them would not have got the opportunity had the alliances been intact One of the prime examples of this is Corporator Ameet SatamAndheri West was one of the assembly constituencies that was with the Sena and was coveted by the BJP during the seat sharing talks Seeking to send a message after the end of the alliance the BJP made Satam file his nomination from the assembly seat yesterdayldquoI want my work to talk for me the fact that my party reposed trust in me is a huge thing in itselfrdquo said Satam BJP loyalist fourtime corporator and former Improvement Committee chairman Ram Barot also turned out to be a beneficiary of the SenaBJP alliancersquos endYesterday he filed his nominations from the Malad assembly seat which was with the Sena earlier ldquoI always wanted to contest the assembly elections and thanks to this opportunity and the trust of my seniors I have filed my nomination from Maladrdquo Barot told middayThe BJPrsquos Manisha Chaudhari is also slated to get the ticket for the Dahisar assembly constituency to contest against the sitting Sena MLA Vinod Ghosalkar who is expected to get the ticket from the Sena againBJP corporators Ujjwala Modak and Mahesh Parkar will also get to contest from Jogeshwari and Bandra east respectively Both these seats were held by the Sena earlierThe fact that the BJP is giving so many assembly tickets to corporators has set political circles abuzz on whether it lacks other known faces from Mumbairsquos assembly seats From the CongressNCP camp two corporators from the latter are set to benefit from the split of the allianceHaroon Khan will be contesting from Ghatkopar West and BMC Standing Committee member Rakhi Jadhav will be contesting from Ghatkopar East Both of these seats were with the Congress as per the alliancersquos seat sharing arrangementTickets aplentyThe Sena seems set to have a shortage of senior leaders in the BMC While former corporator and Standing Committee chairman Rahul Shewale is now an MP former mayor Sunil Prabhu and current Standing Committee Chairman Yashodhar Phanse are expected to file nominations to contest the assembly polls from the Dindoshi and Versova constituencies respectivelyThe Dahisar assembly seat is also shaping up to be a contest between corporators with Manisha Chadhari from the BJP and Sheetal Mhatre from the Congress Sources told midday that former mayor and current corporator Shubha Raul from the Sena is also expected to contest this seat as an Independent with the Sena reportedly having decided to give the ticket to the sitting MLA Vinod GhosalkarA source close to Raul said ldquoShe has not yet quit the party and until Manisha Chaudharirsquos name was declared she was hoping she could contest from the BJP She seems to be upset with Senarsquos decision of giving Ghosalkar the ticket again and may file her nomination as an Independent candidaterdquo Among MNS corporators Dilip Lande former group leader of the party in the BMC will contest the Ghatkopar West assembly seat