When the Congress declared Dnyanraj Nikam’s name as the new Opposition leader in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), there were rumblings of discontent among the corporators. This is because Nikam has hardly attended 42 meeting out of 317 meetings in the last five years.

The last-minute change in the Opposition leader’s name — earlier it was Ghatkopar corporator Suresh Koparkar — was not new for the Congress corporators.

But Nikam’s name was quite unexpected.

Dnyanraj Nikam, known to be a close confidante of Murli Deora, will be the Opposition leader in the civic body. He was also the ward committee chairman of A, B and E wards, which had 19 corporators across three wards.

Nikam, in June last year, was asked by the party higher ups to ensure that he made it for the general body meetings or else he would have been disqualified for his continuous absentees and would have lost his chairmanship of ward committee.

He attends general body meetings once in about six months.

Though Nikam came to the corporation hall and signed in the register, he did not sit for the house proceedings.

Despite being reminded to attend the meetings several times, Nikam remained absent.

The BMC rule book says if an elected representative is absent for more than three months at a stretch, he is disqualified. But Nikam was spared as his party reminded him to put a customary leave note. Nikam was also questioned by the party but it was learnt that he had told his leaders that his work in the ward mattered to him and not attendance in the house.