A sharp political storm was triggered in Navi Mumbai after the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) was reported to have received 2,500 objections and suggestions regarding its draft ward plan released on August 22. The unusually high volume of feedback, more than twelve times that recorded during the 2015 civic polls, has fueled allegations of political manipulation ahead of the upcoming municipal elections.
It was highlighted that over 1,000 of the submissions had come from supporters of former BJP minister Ganesh Naik. Allegations were raised that the ward boundaries had been redrawn under the direction of the urban development department, led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, in a manner that fragmented Naik’s traditional voter base. It was also stated that opposition parties, including the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), had echoed similar accusations, arguing that the move had been designed to tilt the balance of power before the polls.
In comparison, only 200 objections had been submitted during the 2015 exercise, when Navi Mumbai had been divided into 111 single-member wards. This year’s plan was structured differently, with 28 multi-member panels proposed for the same 111 wards. Under the new arrangement, 27 panels would be represented by four corporators each and one by three, keeping the total unchanged at 111. The official justification for the proposal had been to streamline governance and ensure equitable representation.
The final day for submission of objections, September 4, witnessed a dramatic surge, with Naik’s loyalists filing over 1,000 objections at once. It was argued that entire villages, roads, and even sheds had been split between wards, thereby diluting Naik’s political reach. In response, a delegation led by Naik’s son, former MP Sanjeev Naik, and his nephew, former mayor Sagar Naik, was said to have visited NMMC headquarters to present a detailed technical rebuttal. Sanjeev Naik was reported to have criticized the fragmentation of communities, warning of potential legal challenges if the draft was not revised. Sagar Naik described the move as a calculated attempt to weaken their political base.
The issue did not remain confined to the BJP camp alone. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is itself part of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, also raised objections. Concerns were voiced that the restructuring had been carried out to favor a particular political faction.
However, Shiv Sena’s Navi Mumbai chief Kishore Patkar dismissed the allegations, stating that while every citizen had the right to file objections in a democracy, unfounded attacks on leadership would not be tolerated. Officials of the NMMC confirmed that the objections and suggestions would be reviewed thoroughly, with hearings scheduled for concerned citizens in due course.