Eight candidates have approached the Bombay High Court, alleging that their nomination forms for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections were deliberately rejected at the behest of BJP MLA and Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.
The plea, mentioned before a division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad on Tuesday, claims that Narwekar abused his official position to influence the Returning Officer and prevent the acceptance of nomination forms for wards 224 to 227 — all located within Narwekar’s Colaba Assembly constituency in South Mumbai.
The elections to the BMC are scheduled for January 15, 2026.
The petitioners, who claim to be independent aspirants, have sought urgent directions to the State Election Commission and other authorities to accept their nominations. According to the plea, the candidates had submitted the necessary documents and security deposits but were forcibly removed from the Returning Officer’s premises under pressure from Narwekar.
“Narwekar has interfered in free and fair elections by misusing his political power and position as Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha and forced the police machinery to throw the candidates (petitioners) out of the premises,” the petition alleges.
The plea also accuses the Speaker of violating the Model Code of Conduct, and claims that complaints made to the State Election Commission have gone unanswered.
The matter has drawn political attention as Narwekar’s family members — brother Makrand Narwekar, sister Gauri Shivalkar, and sister-in-law Harshita Shivalkar — are contesting from wards 225, 226, and 227, respectively.
Opposition parties have levelled further accusations, including tampering with CCTV footage related to the nomination process and using state machinery to obstruct political rivals.
Although the petitioners sought an urgent hearing, the High Court stated that the matter would be taken up “in due course.”
Narwekar has denied all allegations, calling them “politically motivated.”
