Vadodara: A total of 13 nomination forms were filed on Tuesday, the last day for submitting nominations for the election to the Nagar Prathmik Shikshan Samiti of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), with 12 of them backed by the BJP.The lone candidate outside the party-backed panel is Ratilal Parmar, a BJP worker who has chosen to contest independently.The Nagar Prathmik Shikshan Samiti (school board) oversees primary education in VMC-run schools, which cater to around 50,000 students. With the BJP backing all 12 official candidates, the election could have been virtually uncontested. However, Parmar’s decision to enter the fray has introduced an element of uncertainty.Speaking to the media, Parmar said he had remained an active BJP worker but was not given the party’s mandate. He said he had nevertheless decided to file his nomination, despite not having a ‘godfather‘ within the party.The 12 BJP-backed candidates are Niravkumar Popatlal Patel, Kaushikbhai Prajapati, Vina Chaudhari, Dipa Shah, Sohil Godiya, Dhavalkumar Shah, Aarti Jayswal, Salav Ashish Majmudar, Komal Kukreja, Ajaykumar Gavara, Chirag Yadav and Pankaj Rana.The list submitted for the election includes candidates from the general, matriculate and Scheduled Caste categories. Their educational qualifications range from BTech and BSc to BCom, LLB, LLM and MCom.Interestingly, four of the BJP-backed candidates have been given the mandate from Ward 12, while the backgrounds of several candidates and their links with senior party leaders have also become a subject of discussion in political circles.The election is being conducted under the provisions of the Gujarat Primary Education Act. According to election officials, scrutiny of the nomination forms will be held on Oct 13. The final list of candidates will emerge after the subsequent withdrawal process.Polling is scheduled for Oct 21, with elected VMC corporators eligible to cast their votes. Counting will be conducted at the VMC headquarters from 3.30pm on the same day, with the results expected to be declared thereafter.Three additional members will be nominated by the govt to the committee. These include Sanjiv Pancholi, Amit Vyas and a govt officer, according to details provided regarding the constitution of the school board.With 13 nomination forms filed for 12 elected seats, the spotlight is now firmly on Parmar. The key question is whether he will withdraw his nomination during the withdrawal period or remain in the contest.
