MUMBAI, Dec. 31 -- A day after seat-sharing disputes were settled and suitable candidates were selected, all the major political parties pivoted to damage-control mode. Rebellion in their ranks now threatens to cost them dearly in several wards even as office-bearers, who failed to get tickets for themselves and their candidates, resigned. Many hopefuls, denied tickets, have filed as independent candidates, and some switched to rival parties as the deadline for nominations approached. The BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT), locked in a bitter battle for control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are facing the most intense backlash over ticket distribution. To minimise rebellion, all the major parties waited for the Tuesday evening nominations deadline to declare their lists of candidates, rather than declare their lists well in advance, as is the usual practice. BJP leaders say more than 70 party rebels are contesting as independents, exposing a surge of discontent. Many were angry with the party for rewarding recent entrants, ignoring loyalists who had worked for for years. Some even protested at the party's Dadar office. In Ghatkopar east, the BJP's decision to field Rakhee Jadhav, former NCP (SP) city chief who recently defected, has caused unease, with at least five women workers from the BJP having sought the Ward 131 ticket. Prominent among them was Dhanashree, wife of party worker Ajay Bagal. "We have worked for the BJP for 24 years. We had offers from other parties like the Sena (UBT), but we said 'no' and finally filed as independent. We are not going to withdraw,'' said Bagal. Jadhav insisted she had joined the BJP so that her constituency would benefit. Another disgruntled local leader is Prakash Chaudhary, who was president of the BJP's Kalina assembly unit. He quit the party and joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. "We are still assessing how many of our men have filed as independents. There is tremendous pressure on us,'' admitted a senior functionary at the BJP's Dadar office. Tejasvi Ghosalkar's nomination in Ward 1 (Dahisar) has not gone down well. Ghosalkar too is a recent entrant, switching from the Shiv Sena (UBT). A BJP worker said, "Everyone will tell you that I have worked for the party for 10 years. What did I do wrong? I accept the party's decision and will work to get Ghosalkar elected but I want answers from former MP Gopal Shetty and MLA Manisha Chaudhari. Why did they refuse to give me the ticket?" As some rebels spoke out publicly and others filed their papers as independents, the BJP's leaders in Mumbai went into a huddle. Minister Ashish Shelar, legislators Prasad Lad and Pravin Darekar, and Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam have been tasked with coaxing rebels to withdraw their candidature. "CM Devendra Fadnavis has asked MLAs and senior leaders to urge rebels to withdraw their nominations. We are confident they will and our Mahayuti will win with 150-plus seats," said BJP MLC Prasad Lad. Things were not very different in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), the BJP's main opponent in the polls. The street outside Matoshree, residence of the Thackerays in Bandra east, saw protests by party workers, who were denied tickets. Many aspirants were visibly distraught, others were making frantic phone calls to party leaders who were deciding on the nominations. Prakash and his wife Priti Patankar, both former corporators, were denied a ticket by the Sena (UBT) as its poll partner, the Raj Thackeray-led MNS wanted the ticket for the party's Mumbai joint chief Yashwant Killedar. Finally, the Patankars crossed over to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Priti Patankar was given a ticket. A Sena (UBT) leader said, "I have received phone calls from over 40 persons whose requests for tickets were turned down. Some have filed as rebels and we will have to pacify them to avoid a division of votes.'' The Sena gained two new entrants - former corporator Anil Kokil, denied a ticket by the Sena (UBT) and now contesting from Ward 204 on a Sena ticket. MNS general secretary Snehal Jadhav, also denied a ticket, joined the Sena in the presence of Shinde. There was discontent in the Sena (UBT) ranks in the crucial Worli area too, which is the assembly constituency of senior party Aaditya Thackeray. Here, Uddhav Thackeray himself stepped in to pacify unhappy workers and local leaders. In the MNS, the party was allotted 53 seats by its poll partner, the Sena (UBT), but didn't get all the seats it had asked for. In Bhandup, there was a standoff over Ward 114, where Sena (UBT) candidate Rajool Patil, daughter of MP Sanjay Dina Patil, was pitted against MNS Anisha Majgaonkar. "We had several heated arguments over this. Finally, the ticket was given to Rajool Patil and Majgaonkar filed as an independent,'' said an MNS worker. Meanwhile, the election offices of the BMC were accepting nomination forms till late on Tuesday evening. "We have a final tally of candidates in four areas only,'' said a civic officer....