Navi Mumbai ward plan receives 2,500 objections

Supporters of former BJP minister Ganesh Naik alleged that ward boundaries had been redrawn to fragment the support base of parties other than the Shiv Sena ahead of the upcoming municipal polls

Navi Mumbai: A political firestorm has erupted in Navi Mumbai after the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) received 2,500 objections/ suggestions to its draft ward plan, released on August 22. More than 1,000 objections/ suggestions were filed by supporters of former BJP minister Ganesh Naik, who alleged that ward boundaries had been redrawn by the urban development department headed by Shiv Sena chief and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde to fragment the support base of other parties ahead of the upcoming municipal polls. Opposition parties including the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) have also levelled similar allegations.

On Thursday, Ganesh Naik’s son, former MP Sanjeev Naik, and his nephew, former mayor Sagar Naik, led a BJP delegation to the NMMC headquarters and submitted a detailed technical rebuttal (HT Photo)

The NMMC had received only 200 objections/ suggestions when ward boundaries were redrawn ahead of the 2015 civic polls, when Navi Mumbai was divided into 111 single-member wards.

On August 22 this year, the NMMC released a fresh ward plan, proposing 28 multi-member panels to govern 111 wards, with an eye on streamlining governance and improving representational equity. According to the plan, 27 panels would have four corporators each, while one panel would have three, keeping the total number of corporators at 111.

While the civic body had invited objections and suggestions from the public till September 4, the last day saw a dramatic influx, with supporters of Naik reportedly filing over 1,000 objections alone. They claimed the new ward boundaries strategically weakened Naik’s influence by splitting his traditional voter base.

On Thursday, Naik’s son, former MP Sanjeev Naik, and his nephew, former mayor Sagar Naik, led a BJP delegation to the NMMC headquarters and submitted a detailed technical rebuttal.

“Villages have been split. Roads and even sheds have been carved into separate wards. It is unfortunate that such wrong ward boundaries have been planned. Don’t know if the draft has been submitted by the NMMC to the urban development department, or if the department has submitted it to the EC (Election Commission),” Sanjeev Naik said, warning of legal action if the plan was not revised.

Sagar Naik said, “This isn’t just a mistake—it’s a calculated move to weaken our base and protect rival corporators.”

Other parties including the NCP, which is also part of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, alleged that wards had been restructured to benefit a specific political faction.

Responding to the accusations, Shiv Sena’s Navi Mumbai chief Kishore Patkar said everyone had the right to object in a democracy. He dismissed the allegations of bias, saying, “Targeting our leader without proof is unacceptable. We’re prepared to respond if this continues.”

The NMMC will, in due course, review all objections/ suggestions and notify the citizens concerned about hearings, said officials.