AB forms out, names missing: Sena (UBT) moves on BMC tickets as rebellion fears loom

Shiv Sena (UBT) has begun issuing AB forms to prospective BMC candidates without announcing an official list, as the nomination deadline nears.

Shiv Sena (UBT) has begun distributing AB forms—required to file nominations as a party’s official candidate, for the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, even as it has not released an official candidate list, News18 reported, citing sources.

The timing is tight: December 30 is the last date for filing nominations, with counting scheduled for January 16, as per the State Election Commission’s poll programme.

According to the News18 report, AB forms were issued to relatives of several MPs and MLAs and to Yuva Sena office bearers. The report cited, among others, Rajool Patil, daughter of Mumbai Northeast MP Sanjay Dina Patil, and Ankit Prabhu, son of Dindoshi MLA Suresh Prabhu.

News18 also reported that corporators who stayed with Uddhav Thackeray after the 2022 Shiv Sena split have been accommodated with tickets.

The party has not officially announced its full slate, with the News18 report attributing the delay to concerns over internal dissent and possible rebellion.

Shiv Sena (UBT) is contesting the BMC polls in alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a tie-up that has forced ward-level seat-sharing decisions to the surface as nominations close.

News18 reported Sena (UBT) is planning to contest over 150 seats, though the party has not officially confirmed the number.

In municipal elections, AB forms are not a formality, they are the party’s final stamp, without which a “candidate” is effectively on their own. Issuing AB forms selectively while withholding a public list is a classic way to lock in loyalists, keep fence-sitters guessing, and reduce last-minute sabotage as rival camps hunt for breakaways in tightly fought wards.