BHIWANDI: In the run-up to Friday’s mayoral election to the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC), BJP appeared to have suffered a setback as a group of 9 councillors led by Narayan Chaudhary distanced itself from the party and moved closer to the Congress-backed ‘Bhiwandi Secular Front’.BNMC has a total of 90 seats, with 46 required for a simple majority. According to sources, Chaudhary’s rebel bloc has aligned with 30 Congress councillors and 12 from NCP (SP), taking the effective strength of the ‘Secular Front’ to 51 — a decisive figure in the contest for mayor’s post.While Congress emerged the single largest party in last month’s civic elections, BJP came in second with 22 seats, Shiv Sena won 12, Samajwadi Party 6, Vilas Patil’s Konark Vikas Aghadi 4 and Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi 3; one independent candidate also won.Congress politicians have described the development as “an advantage”.Change of mayoral candidate led to rebellion in BJPWith a section of BJP corporators moving closer to the Congress-backed front, the current scenario in Bhiwandi is similar to that in 2017, when a coalition of councillors from different parties had come together to go past the majority mark.Some BJP supporters termed Wednesday’s development a “strategic manoeuvre”, without explaining what they meant. Some political analysts argued that if BJP cannot secure the mayor’s post directly, it may still attempt to influence the outcome indirectly through Chaudhary’s positioning. BJP did not officially comment on the claims.The rift in BJP reportedly began after it changed its mayoral candidate. Narayan Chaudhary was initially projected as the party’s nominee but was later replaced by Sneha Patil. Chaudhary’s camp claimed the move triggered resentment.Speaking to TOI , Chaudhary defended his position. “BJP first named me as its mayoral candidate but later replaced me. Along with eight councillors, I am considering extending support to the Secular Front. A final decision will follow legal consultation,” he said.SP MLA Rais Sheikh told TOI , “I had promised the people of Bhiwandi that a Secular Front mayor would be elected. The present developments suggest we are closer to that goal.” Ganesh Patil, vice-president of Maharashtra Congress, confirmed the move. “The nine BJP corporators will be part of Bhiwandi Secular Front, and we, along with NCP (SP), are discussing other details,” he said. Meanwhile, Congress’ Bhiwandi district president Rashid Tahir Momin expressed unease, saying “this appears a calculated move by BJP.”
