Fresh Legal Storm Over BMC Nominations as Separate Petitions Target Colaba Returning Officer

Mumbai: Even as the Bombay High Court has turned down a Public Interest Litigation questioning large-scale rejection of nomination forms in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, a separate set of petitions alleging direct interference in South Mumbai’s nomination process is yet to be heard, keeping the controversy alive.

The dismissed PIL had challenged rejection of nominations on procedural grounds, mainly citing incomplete documentation. However, political parties insist that this ruling does not address more serious allegations involving the Returning Officer (RO) of the Colaba area, Krishna Jadhav, and Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that the nomination process in Colaba was deliberately obstructed. AAP’s Mumbai working president Ruben Mascarenhas claimed that Narwekar misused his constitutional position by allegedly influencing the RO and physically preventing multiple candidates from filing their nomination papers. According to AAP, at least 18 candidates, including its own nominee, were stopped despite being present within the stipulated deadline.

Adding weight to these claims, eight Mumbai residents—including candidates from AAP and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena—have approached the High Court seeking directions to the RO to accept their nominations. The petitioners stated that they had paid the required deposits and were inside the RO’s office before the 5 pm deadline on December 30, 2025, but their nomination forms were still not accepted.

The petitions further allege that the RO acted under pressure and have demanded an independent inquiry into the events of the final day of nominations. Although the petitioners sought an urgent hearing ahead of polling scheduled for January 15, the division bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar indicated that the matter would be listed in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the controversy has triggered sharp political reactions. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan termed the alleged events “deplorable” and called for cancellation of the entire election process in the three BMC wards falling under the Colaba Assembly constituency. He argued that holding elections under a cloud of alleged manipulation would undermine democratic credibility and urged national leadership to take note of the situation.