BMC polls: Two BJP nominees secure tickets but fail to submit nomination papers
Mumbai (PTI): Two candidates of the BJP for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections failed to submit their forms on Tuesday, when the deadline to submit nominations ended, triggering a blame game between officials and aspirants.
Shakeel Ansari and Mandakini Khamkar were fielded from ward numbers 211 and 212, and their names had figured in the official list of the BJP.
Returning Officer Krishna Jadhav, who is in charge of both wards, told PTI that no nomination papers were received from the two candidates before the 5 PM deadline on December 30.
"I have not received nomination papers of the BJP candidates. So there are no candidates of the party from both the wards," he said.
More than 2,500 nomination forms have been submitted before the deadline for 227 corporator seats in Mumbai for the January 15, 2026, elections.
Ansari and Khamkar were supposed to make a debut in the civic polls.
Khamkar claimed she was outside the returning officer's office at 4:47 PM, when she was informed that her form would not be accepted. She was not even allowed to enter the RO office in ward 212.
"The RO decided to stop allowing entries around 4:30 pm. I arrived by 4:10 pm and had already completed procedures when officials told us they wouldn't accept any more forms.
"I received my AB form a bit late. I reached there around 4 pm., but the presence of many other independents caused delays in filing my nomination," she told reporters.
She blamed the returning officers for refusing to accept the forms.
"How can they deny the forms of BJP, the national party?" she asked.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
