Rebels played spoilsport to the official candidates in the civic election in 2012. While the majority of them proved that they were good enough to be nominated, the others ensured that the parties that dumped them did not make it to the BMC headquarters.The Independents will now be playing a major role in the making of ruling front. The Sena-BJP-RPI combine will need at least six Independents to support the alliance to form the government in the BMC. Jyoti Alavani, BJP rebel from Vile-Parle (East), won with a majority, leaving Priti Bane, official candidate from the party, with very nominal votes. She is expected to join the party if it offers her a respectful comeback. Likewise there are at least three to four Independents who would join Sena if they are called back. Manoj Sansare, Independent candidate from F-north (ward 172), is seen as a prospective candidate Sena would seek.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

The Sena-BJP will now have to decide on the compromises they will have to make in order to lure the candidates. The combine will have to approach actual Independents, who are not rebels from any party. This leaves them very little scope.

In 2007, the Sena sought help from Independent candidate Adolf D’Souza when it was short of one candidate. D’Souza was given chairmanship of a ward council, and also membership in the standing committee.

Hanifa Bi, from M-east  - ward 135, won the seat with 10935 votes, trumping Samajwadi party (SP) candidate Khairunnisa Hussain with 2021 votes. Independent candidates such as Makrand Narvekar could actually pull off an upset; he won against an overconfident three-term Congress corporator Vinod Shekhar.

The Samajwadi Party has significant numbers in the civic body this year. Last term, there were only seven SP candidates, but this time there are nine. If support is sought, it could form a major supporting party’s role, even though the party stayed away from the ruling Sena-BJP as well as the opposition Congress-NCP last term.