MUMBAI: With corporator seats for the upcoming BMC polls being rolled back to 227 from 236 and a likely fresh lottery for reservations, many former corporators who would not have been able to contest as their seats had got reserved are hopeful yet again. They are hoping there is no reservation on their seat this time so that they can demand a ticket from the party.
Former BJP corporator Vidyarthi Singh, whose seat in Borivli was reserved for OBCs in the recent lottery, said he was very disappointed then. "The demarcation of 236 corporator wards was done very haphazardly. I found my ward was divided in a way that it would have been difficult for anyone to work on ground as it was spread out unevenly across the area. When it further got reserved for OBCs, I knew I would not be able to contest. However, now there is a chance it could be opened up again and I would be able to contest," said Singh, a four-term corporator.
In Goregaon, BJP's Sandeep Patel said he had worked extensively in his ward and, hence, when it got reserved for women, he was heartbroken. "Now with the lottery for reservations likely to be held again, I am hoping to get another chance to work in the same ward," said Patel.
Former Congress corporator Ravi Raja, who was also the leader of opposition in the BMC, said owing to Covid there were a lot of limitations in the work they could have done. "Being the opposition leader, I got a chance to help a lot of people in need during the Covid crisis. However, development works on ground still need to be done, and I intend to carry forward if I get another chance to represent the area," said Raja.
Former Congress corporator Asif Zakaria said the BMC needs to conduct the lottery uniformly for all seats this time. "The BMC is following a pattern of conducting the lottery only for those seats that had been reserved for multiple terms in the past, which is incorrect," he said. Zakaria's seat was reserved in the previous lottery.
BMC officials, however, said with regards to the further course of action, they are still awaiting instructions from the government. The officials indicated that with the lottery completed with 236 seats in mind, going back to 227 seats would mean going back to the drawing boards and quite some time. What is clear is that the already-delayed BMC elections are headed for further delay.
