Hema Ashok Purohit daughter-in-law of city BJP unit president, Raj Purohit and Jyoti Alvani wife of ex-BJP corporator, Parag Alvani have rebelled against their own party and filed nominations as Independent candidate’s for the ensuing BMC elections. The fire of rebellion has spread with sitting corporator Vishwanath Mhaske (ward number 102) and Arvind Bane (ward number 212) have also rebelled.
In a midnight drama, city BJP unit leaders called all prospective candidates at its city office Vasant Smruti, Dadar and handed them the nomination A & B forms. It now remains to be seen as to what city unit president Raj Purohit takes action against his own daughter-in-law and Parag Alvani for violating the party diktat of no party tickets to kith and kin. All these developments have come in the wake of party president Nitin Gadkari, party in charge Venkaiah Naidu, state president Sudhir Mungantiwar and organisational secretary Ravi Bhusari had categorically stated no tickets to kith and kin of party leaders.
Amidst all this the party is facing a problem with nominating its candidate for OBC reserved ward number 21, Narvane Sanskruti Kendra. The party is in a quandary as its official candidate has her name registered in the voter list of another ward. In a contingency measure it has nominated three
Hema Ashok Purohit filed her nomination papers as Independent candidate from Ward No 219 Mumbaidevi – Dhobi Talao area against the party’s official candidate Veena Madhu Jain. While Parag Alvani’s wife Jyoti Alvani filed her nomination papers as Independent from Ward No 80 Vile Parle East – Telephone Exchange against party’s official candidate Preeti Pravin Baane.
Mhaske who has floated Mulund-Bhandup Vikas Aghadi is himself is contesting as an Independent candidate from Ward No 102 and has fielded four more of his rebels as Independent candidate’s. His supporters who have filed nominations as Independent’s include – Manisha Mankar (WNo. 98), Dhoba Mali (WNo. 99), Romeo Patil (WNo. 103) and Vanita Sangare (WNo. 105). While sitting BJP corporator Arvind Bane has fielded his wife Ujwala Bane as Independent candidate from Ward No 212 Mahalaxmi AC Market against official candidate Sarita Ajay Patil.