A fresh dispute has surfaced inside the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation after the election of co-opted members was postponed on the day candidates were due to submit their applications, triggering protests by BJP functionaries at Mayor Ashwini Nikam’s public grievance forum.
According to a report by Loksatta, the election was deferred indefinitely on Monday following a letter from the mayor. Municipal commissioner Manisha Avhale cited the mayor’s communication while announcing the postponement. The decision prompted senior BJP corporators to meet the commissioner and question its legality.
BJP group leader Rajesh Vadhariya said the decision had been taken without consulting the party and that legal advice was being sought. Shiv Sena House Leader Arun Ashan, however, said the postponement was intended to prevent legal complications.
The dispute later moved to a Janata Darbar organised by Mayor Ashwini Nikam in Camp Three, Ulhasnagar. BJP functionaries, including Bala Shrikande and Kapil Adsul, raised questions about the absence of a general body meeting on water-related issues and shouted slogans against the mayor, the report said.
As the situation escalated, Nikam left the public forum. The incident marked another confrontation between the Shiv Sena and BJP, which jointly control the civic body but have repeatedly differed over internal issues and local political alignments.
The two parties formed the municipal administration after the civic election despite having contested against each other before the polls. Based on their numbers in the corporation, the Shiv Sena secured the mayor’s post while the BJP received the deputy mayor’s position. The alliance has also been affected by tensions between the BJP and the Kalani group, whose members joined the Shiv Sena before the election.
The latest confrontation follows an earlier disagreement after Kamlesh Nikam, the mayor’s husband, criticised BJP MLA Kumar Aylani. The BJP had then announced non-cooperation before senior leaders intervened to ease tensions. Loksatta reported that the first Janata Darbar had also witnessed a similar disruption.
Kamlesh Nikam later told the media that internal dissatisfaction within the BJP had affected the alliance and questioned how the party could protest while being part of the civic administration. Vadhariya, meanwhile, alleged that members who had shifted from the Kalani group to the Shiv Sena were attempting to create a split between the alliance partners, an effort he said would not succeed.
The immediate next step is expected to involve the municipal administration’s position on the postponed co-opted member election and any legal advice obtained by the BJP. The mayor’s response to the disruption was not available in the report.
