Journalism of Courage
With the increase in reservation for women from 33 to 50 per cent,the number of seats for male corporators has come down by 20,from 96 to 76. As a result,22 male corporators will take on their colleagues while a few others have managed to rope in women from their families to replace them.
Of the 144 seats,48 seats were reserved for women in the outgoing strength of the PMC,making it possible for only 96 men corporators to get a place in the general body. Now,there is a total of 152 seats but 50 per cent of them are reserved for women,thus restricting the men strength to maximum of 76 in the new House. In the battle for survival,the tough contest is expected between Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal of NCP and standing committee chairman Ganesh Bidkar of BJP in panel 39.
Similarly,Shiv Sena leader Shyam Deshpande will have to fight out with sitting MNS corporator Kishore Shinde to make his place in the PMC general body. The Shiv Sena and RPI are in an alliance but Sena corporator Sagar Malkar will face a challenge from sitting RPI corporator Siddarth Dhende.
In panel 54,NCP corporator Balasaheb Kapre will take on the rebel NCP candidate,corporator Shailesh Charvad. Corporator Dattatraya Sasane of the Congress and Anand Alkunte of NCP are facing each other in panel 42 while sitting corporator Avinash Bagawe of Congress have to contest against NCP Sandeep Ladkat in panel 60. NCP leader in PMC Subhash Jagtap will have a tough fight with Congress corporator Anil Jadhav in panel 68.
City Congress chief Abhay Chhajed will have to prove his mettle against Sena corporator Shrikant Pujari to get re-elected to PMC in panel 66.
Another Congress corporator Narayan Chavan,contesting from panel 59,will have to face BJP corporator Vishnu Harihar while corporator Shankar Pawar of Congress will take on Rajendra Endal of MNS in panel 29. Sena corporator Sanjay Bhosale will contest against Avinash Salve of NCP in panel 14.
Five male corporators are out of contention as they have been elected to the state legislative body,but all of them have managed to get tickets for their kin from the respective parties. NCP legislator Bapu Pathare has managed to get tickets for three from his family while Anil Bhosale of NCP has got a ticket for his wife Rashmi. Sena legislators Chandrakant Mokate and Mahadev Babar too have managed to get ticket for their kin to replace them in the civic body.
Recently elected Bhimrao Tapkir from Khadakwasla assembly segment has managed to get BJP ticket to a relative.
For others,there was no option but to keep out of the fray but have found place for their kin. Sitting BJP corporators Murlidhar Mohol,Shivram Mengade and Datta Khade have managed party tickets for their wives.
Congress corporator Rashid Sheikh has got a ticket for his sister while Sanjay Nande of NCP has got a ticket for sister-in-law.
