Congress receives 1,150 applications for BMC poll tickets

Mumbai Congress has so far received more than 1,150 applications from ticket aspirants for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the party said on Thursday. Though the election schedule for the BMC is yet to be announced, applications have poured in from all six districts of Mumbai, city Congress spokesperson Sureshchandra Rajhans said in a statement. The six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai are considered as districts for polls. Elections in 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats in Maharashtra will take place on December 2 and votes will be counted on December 3, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said on Tuesday.

Waghmare did not declare the election schedule for 29 municipal corporations, 32 zilla parishads, and 336 panchayat samitis where polls are also due. "The city Congress has so far received more than 1,150 applications from aspirants for the party ticket," Rajhans said. He said the Congress had invited applications from those keen to contest the civic polls and, given the strong response, the deadline for submission is likely to be extended. Preparations for the polls are being carried out under the leadership of Mumbai Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad. In-charges have been appointed for all 227 wards, and meetings are being held across the city to mobilise workers, Rajhans said. A majority of Congress workers have demanded that the party contest the polls independently, though a final decision on whether to go solo or form an alliance will be taken by the central leadership in Delhi, he added.