Election for NMC standing committee chief’s post on Feb 25

Nashik: The election for NMC standing committee chairperson's post will be held on Feb 25. Divisional commissioner Praveen Gedam announced the schedule after the civic body's town secretary department requested the declaration of the poll following the committee's formation.With nine members in the 16-member committee, BJP holds a clear majority, making it evident that the next chairperson would come from the party. Two‑time BJP corporator Machhindra Sanap, who withdrew from the deputy mayoral race on Feb 10 on the instructions of party seniors, has emerged as the leading contender. Madhuri Bolkar and Deepali Kulkarni are also in the fray.Earlier, during the deputy mayoral election, BJP had initially nominated Sanap, while Shiv Sena had selected Vilas Shinde. BJP, however, later decided to allot the deputy mayor's post to Shiv Sena, prompting Sanap to withdraw his nomination. As a result, Himgauri Aher was elected unopposed as mayor, and Vilas Shinde became deputy mayor.Following these elections, Girish Mahajan praised Sanap for stepping aside as instructed, adding that the leadership would consider his name in the future — boosting his prospects for the standing committee chairperson's post. The final decision, however, will be made by the state leadership and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.The standing committee comprises nine BJP members — Madhuri Bolkar, Nitin Nigal, Pallavi Ganore, Deepali Kulkarni, Indubai Khetade, Aditi Pande, Sarita Sonawane, Jayashree Gaikwad and Machhindra Sanap. Shiv Sena-MNS group has four members, namely Mayuri Pawar, Kiran Gamane, Rahul Dive and Ranjana Borade. The UBT‑Congress group has two members, Bharti Tajanpure and Yogesh Gadekar, while NCP‑independent group has one member in Mukesh Shahane.