Losing seats to delimitation, corporators push for spouses

Several sitting corporators are trying to convince their respective party high commands to field their spouses from their wards in a bid to hold on to power from home.

Sevral sitting corporators, who have lost their wards to delimitation, are now trying hard to convince their respective party leaders to field their spouses from the seats in the upcoming civic polls, apparently to keep the metaphorical remote control of power in their hands.




Now Your turn: BJP corporator from Salisbury Park, Vandana Bhimale,
will have no option, but to field her husband Shrinath Bhimale from the
seat, as Ward Number 64 is now reserved for OBC (men). File pics

Though the reservation for women has increased from 33 per cent to 50 per cent in civic body elections, many corporators may lose their seats due to reverse reservationu00a0-- that is a ward reserved for women candidates becoming a men only seat after delimitation and vice-versa.

For instance, the BJP corporator from Salisbury Park, Vandana Bhimale, will have no option, but to fieldu00a0 her husband Shrinath Bhimale from the seat as Ward Number 64 is now reserved for OBC (men). Shrinath said, "In 2007 civic elections, I had to give this ward to my wife as it was then reserved for women. This time, she is just returning the favour. It will be easier for me to contest the election as I know the area inside out.

However, my wife will also try to get a ticket from ward number 71 (Dias Plot) which is reserved for women."
Take the case of Corporator from Vishwakarma Institute ward Sunita Chintal and her husband Gopal Chintal. Sunita was elected as corporator in 2007 civic polls from ward number 72 (Vishwakarma Institute ward) as the ward was then reserved for OBC (women). However, for 2012 civic poll, the reservation has been lifted from the ward.

And guess who is happy? It is Sunita's husband, Gopal, who was the sitting corporator 2007 but had to sacrifice his seat to his wife after it become reserved for women.u00a0u00a0"I have been working in this ward since 1992 and was elected twice. Now, as the reservation has been lifted once again, I will try my luck from my own ward," said Gopal. The reverse reservation has also forced NCP corporator from Ward number 18 (Vadgaon Sheri), Dnyaneshwar Chavan, to make way for his wife Sheetal.

Now, he is leaving no stone unturned to convince the party high command to nominate his wife, who is a greenhorn, from the seat, which is for OBC (women). Even as the coporators are working overtime to swap seats with their spouses to retain the remote control of power in their hands, only the results will say whether the electorate has accepted the 'all in family funda' of the politicians.