The incident unfolded in Ward 13 (D), where the party had issued AB forms to both Gawande and Vijay Hole before directing Gawande to step aside. Angry workers confined him briefly until senior leader and MLC Parinay Fuke intervened, persuading them to relent. Gawande eventually withdrew.
Authorities will release final candidate lists on January 3 ahead of voting on January 15 across 29 municipal corporations.
Similar chaos erupted in Pune, where a Shiv Sena candidate reportedly tore and swallowed a rival's AB form at a ward office, prompting a police case.These episodes expose ticket distribution tensions within ruling alliances.
The Mahayuti coalition—BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP—dominated recent urban local body polls for 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, capturing 207 bodies. BJP alone won 117, reinforcing its stronghold.
Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi struggled, securing just 44.Analysts say such flare-ups risk vote splits in upcoming contests, testing coalition unity amid rebel candidatures.
