Nagpur: BJP is set to secure clean sweep in eight of the city’s nine zonal chairperson posts — popularly known as ‘mini mayors’ — with all its candidates certain to be elected unopposed, while Congress is poised to bag Mangalwari zone without contest. Ashi Nagar remains the only zone headed for a poll, turning it into the lone political battleground in Friday’s elections.Reinforcing its strategy of promoting women leadership, BJP has fielded eight women across zones. The nominees include Lakshmi Yadav (Laxmi Nagar), Dhanashree Deshpande (Dharampeth), Jyoti Deoghare (Hanuman Nagar), Bharti Bunde (Dhantoli), Seema Domne (Nehru Nagar), Uma Deshmukh (Gandhibagh), Abhiruchi Rajgirhe (Satranjipura) and Maheswari Bisen (Lakadganj). With no opposition candidates in these zones, all are poised to be elected unopposed.BJP has already appointed women corporators as panel chairpersons, and with mayor Neeta Thakre and deputy mayor Leela Hathibed also being women.In Mangalwari zone, Congress is set to claim the ‘mini mayor’ post unopposed, backed by its strength of 11 corporators against BJP’s five. The absence of a contest here too marks a rare win for the opposition in the zonal power structure. Wife of former corporator Arun Dawre, Seema is set to win unopposed.However, all eyes are on Ashi Nagar — the only zone where polling will take place. The 16-member zone presents a tight arithmetic: Congress has seven corporators, AIMIM three, IUML four, BJP one and BSP one.The Congress, along with AIMIM and IUML, staked claim to the post and projected a joint front, even fielding Alisha Khan as its candidate. The alliance also claimed support from BSP’s lone corporator, which would give it a comfortable majority. But internal discord within AIMIM over a nominated corporator has exposed cracks in the alliance. The party was entitled to one nominated seat under the proportional system, but disagreements have triggered infighting, raising the possibility of cross-voting or abstentions.Of the 10 nominated corporators in NMC, BJP has already secured six, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) one and Congress two. Though BJP has just one corporator in Ashi Nagar, the party is closely tracking developments, hoping to benefit from opposition disunity.While most zones are witnessing uncontested outcomes, Ashi Nagar stands out as the only arena of direct electoral contest, making it a key indicator of political alignments in times to come.Nomination papers for the post of chairperson of electricity and fire-fighting committee were filed by second-term BJP corporator Rupali Thakur, while Lakhan Yerawar filed his nomination for the post of vice-chairman of the panel.
