Ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Maharashtra Cabinet led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday decided to increase the number of nominated councillors in all municipalities across the state.
As per the Cabinet decision, a maximum of 10 councillors or 10 per cent of the total number of councillors will be nominated in each corporation. Earlier, only five councillors could be nominated.
Section 5 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, which deals with the constitution of the corporation, provides that each corporation shall consist of 'elected councillors' and 'nominated councillors' not exceeding five having special knowledge and experience in the municipal administration.
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The upcoming BMC elections will be the first electoral test for the Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray factions. The Shinde faction has already appointed six leaders, including two MPs from Mumbai, to start preparations for the BMC elections.
In 2017, the Shiv Sena won 84 out of 227 seats in BMC, while the BJP finished a close second with 82 seats. The Congress and NCP won 31 and nine seats respectively.
The BJP has set a target of 150 seats for the upcoming BMC election, while stressing that it would fight the local body polls in alliance with the Shinde faction.
Last year, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis exuded confidence of the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena combine winning the civic elections.
In September, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with party leaders in Mumbai and had set a target of 150 seats for the BJP-Shinde Sena alliance in the BMC polls. Referring to the work done by the Modi government, Shah said he was sure the BJP would win the civic elections, ANI reported.