BJP infighting, Sena deadlock stall Navi Mumbai civic polls, MVA moves in for the kill

Even as nomination counters opened on December 23, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections have stalled, caught in a three-front political crisis

NAVI MUMBAI: Even as nomination counters opened on December 23, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections have stalled, caught in a three-front political crisis: a deepening revolt within the BJP against Ganesh Naik-aligned leaders, an unresolved seat-sharing deadlock with ally Shiv Sena, and a parallel push by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to capitalise on the churn.

Navi Mumbai, India - Dec. 27, 2025:BJP original cadre meeting today against new entrants at Sanpada in Navi Mumbai, India, on Saturday, December 27, 2025. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

While 2,490 nomination forms have been lifted across the city, only six filings have been done amid uncertainty over tickets and alliances and fear that long-time cadres will be sidelined once negotiations conclude.

At the core of the BJP’s internal unrest is resentment among original party workers over the return of former corporators aligned with Ganesh Naik. Many of them had quit the party along with Naik’s son Sandeep when he defected to the NCP, and are now back, seeking tickets.

“They worked against the BJP, got defeated, and are now misusing the party for personal gain,” said senior BJP leader Satish Nikam, who led a protest meeting of the original cadre on Saturday. Added MLA Manda Mhatre, “There are over 100 BJP workers in Belapur alone who have worked for the party for over a decade. Justice to loyal workers is non-negotiable.”

Nikam said that workers were being asked to campaign for leaders who neither stood with the BJP during its core political movements nor aligned with its ideology. The revolt has been sharpened by allegations that some Naik-aligned leaders are demanding several tickets per family. “Multiple tickets to one family is unacceptable,” Nikam said.

The BJP’s internal unrest spilled into the open this week with the exit of Bharat Jadhav, the city’s first BJP corporator, who quit the party and joined the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). “I resigned because original BJP workers are facing injustice,” he said, alleging that the party had been reduced to a narrow power centre. He said several disgruntled BJP workers were in touch with him and that discussions were under way with MVA partners.

Sanjeev Naik, the BJP’s Navi Mumbai election in-charge, said that cadre sentiment was increasingly in favour of contesting independently. “If seats are conceded in an alliance, loyal workers will not get justice. The BJP has the strength to lead the NMMC on its own,” he said.

Navi Mumbai Shiv Sena chief Kishore Patkar blamed the alliance impasse on the BJP’s internal churn rather than differences between the original cadres of the two allies. He also alleged that new entrants from the NCP into the BJP were deliberately blocking a settlement despite repeated interventions by Eknath Shinde. “The Sena has resolved its own ticket issues,” he said. “Time is now running out. If the alliance is not finalised by Monday, we will go ahead alone.”

Sensing an opening, the MVA has stepped up coordination, and talks are underway among its core partners—the NCP (SP), Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT)—with parallel discussions involving the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), MNS and Vanchit Bahujan Party. MVA leaders said the objective was to prevent a split in anti-BJP votes and focus the civic contest on local issues.