Tensions between the Shiv Sena and BJP in the ruling alliance at the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation intensified on Monday after the election for co-opted members was postponed indefinitely, followed by a disruption at Mayor Ashwini Nikam’s public hearing in Camp 3.
The postponement was announced on the day candidates were expected to submit their applications. Municipal Commissioner Manisha Awahale reportedly cited a letter from the mayor while announcing that the election would be deferred indefinitely. The decision drew an immediate protest from BJP councillors and prospective candidates.
Senior BJP councillors later met the municipal commissioner and argued that the mayor’s decision was legally flawed, according to the report. BJP group leader Rajesh Vadhariya said the decision had been taken without taking the party into confidence and that the party was seeking legal advice on the issue.
Shiv Sena House Leader Arun Ashan defended the postponement, saying it had been made to avoid a legal complication. The dispute has added to existing friction between the two parties, which joined hands to form the municipal administration after the election despite having faced each other directly before the polls.
Under the post-election arrangement, the Shiv Sena secured the mayor’s post on the basis of its numbers, while the BJP received the deputy mayor’s position. The alliance has since faced repeated tensions, including disagreements involving the Kalani group, which joined the Shiv Sena before the election, and local BJP representatives.
The latest confrontation continued at Mayor Ashwini Nikam’s Janata Darbar, a public hearing held in Ulhasnagar Camp 3. BJP leaders, including Bala Shrikande and Kapil Adsul, attended the event and questioned why a general body meeting had not been convened to address water-related concerns. They also raised slogans against the mayor, after which she left the venue as the situation escalated.
The report said a similar disturbance had occurred during the mayor’s first Janata Darbar. The mayor’s response to the latest incident was not available. Her husband, Kamlesh Nikam, who spoke to the media on behalf of the Shiv Sena, alleged that internal dissatisfaction within the BJP had affected the functioning of the alliance. He questioned how BJP representatives could protest while being part of the ruling administration.
Vadhariya rejected that position and alleged that members who had moved from the Kalani group into the Shiv Sena were attempting to create a split between the BJP and Shiv Sena. He said the BJP would not allow that effort to succeed.
The immediate dispute now centres on the postponed co-opted member election and whether the municipal administration will announce a fresh schedule. The report did not specify a new date for the election.
