MUMBAI: Five BJP corporators of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) have been arrested by the Mira Road police in connection with destroying the home and office furnitures of a woman corporator on December 30.

The house and office of a sitting woman corporator Seema Jain was ransacked by party workers for remaining absent for the civic standing committee election held on December 17. Jain was away when the incident took place.

Two candidates were in the fray. The BJP-Shiv Sena-RPI combine had fielded its candidate Sharad Patil. The Congress-NCP-Bahujan Vikas Aghadi combine had fielded candidate Raju Bhoir.

The BJP were confident of Patil's victory but on the voting day, Jain remained absent thus, Bhoir of the BVA got elected as the chairperson.

On December 24, Jain resigned from the standing committee member's post. The party, however, wanted her to resign from the corporator post. Partymen even insisted on disciplinary action against Jain.

Those arrested include BJP women cell President of Mira-Bhayander Suman Kothari, BJP leader of the house Sharad Patil, corporators Madan Singh, Ashwini Kasrodiya and Nayana Vasani. Two partymen Kiran Chehulkar and Shankar Pandey were also arrested. They were remanded to one day police custody by the Thane sessions court.

Mira-Bhayander BJP President Narendra Mehta who was also named in the complaint filed by Jain got anticipatory bail. Jain had alleged that Mehta had asked her to remain absent from the election.

Jain is now likely to move to the NCP.