Mumbai will vote on February 16 to give itself a new civic board amid unprecedented public anger and civic activism directed at the “failure” of the current set-up to provide quality services. Residents of nine other municipal corporations, including Thane, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik, will also vote the same day to elect new boards. Twenty-seven zilla parishads across the state will exercise their franchise on February 7. This round of civic polls, being the last major elections before the assembly polls due in 2014, is crucial for all the state’s major parties. For Mumbai, this election is significant for some other reasons. This is the first time people will vote after the strong public display of disaffection against the deteriorating quality of civic services, especially in the area of roads and the quality and quantity of water flowing from the tap. The Congress and the NCP, the opposition in the BMC, are aware of the disenchantment. “We discussed seat-sharing but the meeting remained inconclusive. We will meet again on Wednesday and reach an agreement,” Mumbai Congress president Kripashankar Singh said after a huddle at NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s residence. Sources said the NCP had asked for 65 seats, a demand the Congress found “too much”. “The dispute will be placed before CM Prithviraj Chavan and deputy CM Ajit Pawar,” a senior leader said, adding that the parties could dislodge the saffron combine if they got together.
Party position in some poll-bound corporations
Thane: Shiv Sena-BJP
Ulhasnagar: Shiv Sena & local front
Pune: NCP-Congress
Pimpri-Chinchwad: NCP
Nagpur: BJP-Shiv Sena
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