PUNE: When it comes to giving tickets to kin, the BJP is not the party with a difference.Addressing the BJP national executive last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told his partymen not to lobby for their relatives for poll tickets.But the party’s city unit has set aside his warning and listed their relatives for tickets in the civic polls, and leading the way is Pune MP Anil Shirole who insisted on a nomination for his son Siddharth from Deccan Gymkhana ward despite opposition from Shivajinagar MLA Vijay Kale. Shirole had demanded the assembly nomination for Siddharth in 2014 by opposing Kale.Others too got their sons and daughters in the fray which made party workers agitated. They held demonstrations and expressed their anger on Friday.Such nominations are a game-plan as party leaders have set their eyes on the next assembly polls _ it is not just about holding political power in the family, but strengthening it by blocking out challengers.The assembly polls are two-and-half years away, but sitting BJP MLAs and their opponents aspiring to enter the power corridors in the state have started preparations with these civic elections.All eight sitting BJP MLAs who gained from the ‘Modi wave’ in October 2014 assembly elections have played a role in finalizing candidates from their respective constituencies keeping away strong candidates from their own party.The emergence of any new leadership in the constituency would threaten their chances of a nomination in 2019 polls. Tickets to their supporters or relatives will ensure they will not compete with them for the assembly ticket.In Parvati assembly constituency MLA Madhuri Misal got her supporters and relatives the maximum tickets. No other BJP leader has emerged from this segment since Misal was first elected as MLA in 2009. Her sister-in-law Manasi is contesting the civic polls for the second consecutive term. Most nominations for the wards under Parvati assembly constituency were finalized after Misal’s consent.In Hadapsar assembly segment, first-time MLA Yogesh Tilekar has fielded his mother and former corporator Ranjana and his close aides, while in Wadgaon-Sheri, first-time MLA Jagdish Mulik has fielded his brother Yogesh and supporters and in Kothrud MLA Medha Kulkarni tried hard to keep away rivals within the party.In Kasba assembly constituency, guardian minister Girish Bapat was unwilling to nominate his party rival Ganesh Bidkar who aspires to replace Bapat in the future. Bidkar, who will be contesting the civic polls, blocked the entry of MNS leader Ravindra Dhangekar into the BJP as Dhangekar is a strong candidate for the Kasba assembly segment.He has since joined the Congress and is all set to lock horns with Bapat or Bidkar in the 2019 assembly polls. The Congress had no strong MLA candidate in Kasba segment, a traditional stronghold of the BJP.In Khadakwasla, MLA Bhimrao Tapkir got the maximum tickets for his family members and supporters. Pune Cantonment MLA and state minister Dilip Kamble’s brother Sunil is contesting while Kamble pushed hard to get nominations for his supporters in Parvati area with support from Misal.Former NCP MLA Bapu Pathare has fielded his wife, brother and other family members from Wadgaon-Sheri areas for civic polls. Pathare is trying to rebuild his base in the assembly constituency.Former Shiv Sena MLAs Mahadev Babar and Chandrakant Mokate have become active in civic polls to ensure the victory of their supporters in Hadapsar and Kothrud assembly constituency, respectively. The stakes are high for Shiv Sena city chief and former MLA Vinayak Nimhan. His son Sunny will contest the civic polls.