Political uncertainty has intensified at the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation after allies in the ruling Mahayuti alliance filed separate nominations for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor on the last day of submissions, signalling visible cracks in the coalition at the local level.

The Congress, which has emerged as the single largest party with 30 seats in the 90 member House, has fielded Tariq Momin as its mayoral candidate. The party’s electoral strategy in Bhiwandi has been steered by Samajwadi Party leader Rais Shaikh. However, uncertainty prevails over the support of the six corporators of the SP, who are politically aligned with Shaikh’s rival Abu Asim Azmi. Their ambiguous stand has left the Congress camp short of assured numbers and added a layer of unpredictability to the contest.

Despite contesting the civic polls together, BJP and Shiv Sena have fielded separate candidates for both posts. A total of 10 nominations were filed for Mayor and seven for Deputy Mayor before Municipal Secretary Ajay Patil.

Among the prominent contenders for Mayor, apart from Tariq Momin, is Konark Vikas Aghadi chief and former Mayor Vilas Patil.

Patil was recently arrested by the Economic Offences Wing in an alleged cheating case and remanded to police custody till February 18. A Bhiwandi court granted him conditional permission to file his nomination, observing that contesting elections is a constitutional right. His wife Pratibha Patil and son Advocate Mayuresh Patil have also filed nominations.

From the Shinde Sena, Balaram Chaudhary and Suchita Mhatre are in the fray, while the BJP has nominated Narayan Ratan Chaudhary and Sneha Patil.

Former Mayor and Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi chief Javed Dalvi has also entered the race. Narayan Ratan Chaudhary submitted two sets of nomination papers, taking the total to 10.

For the Deputy Mayor’s post, the Shiv Sena has nominated Asmita Naik, the BJP has fielded Suhas Nakate, and the Congress has again named Tariq Momin. Javed Dalvi has filed on behalf of the Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi, while the Samajwadi Party has nominated Arib Shaikh. Advocate Mayuresh Patil is also contesting. Dalvi submitted two sets of nomination papers, pushing the total nominations to seven.

The political arithmetic in the 90 member House has further complicated the battle. The majority mark stands at 46. The Congress holds 30 seats, the BJP 22, the NCP 12 and the Shiv Sena 12. The Samajwadi Party has six corporators, while the Konark Vikas Aghadi and Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi have four and three seats respectively. One Independent corporator has also been elected.

In a bid to keep the BJP led alliance out of power, the Congress, NCP and Samajwadi Party formed the Bhiwandi Secular Front and proposed a power sharing formula with a Muslim Mayor and a Hindu Deputy Mayor. However, the arrangement has run into turbulence. After Samajwadi Party corporators expressed their unhappiness with supporting those deemed to be close to MLA Rais Shaikh, with allegations that he worked for defeating SP candidates.

On the other side, the BJP and Shiv Sena together command 34 corporators and are exploring support from smaller fronts to bridge the gap.