Rajendra Sapte, former Thane deputy mayor and senior Shiv Sena leader, staged a protest march on January 1 after he was denied the ticket to contest from Kalwa ward number 25 in the upcoming civic polls set for January 15. The ticket was given to BJP as part of a seat-sharing deal in the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. Mr. Sapte, a loyalist of the late Anand Dighe and a four-term winner from Kalwa, accused the BJP of surprising Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde and using "blackmail" tactics to secure the seat at the last moment. The nomination process for the elections started on December 23 and ended on December 30, with January 2 as the last date to withdraw nominations. The final candidate list will be announced on January 3. Elections for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Thane, will be held on January 15, with vote counting scheduled for January 16.