Consequent upon the announcement of the names of the more than fifty suspected corporators, the BJP in Thane took the lead and obtained the resignations from its party corporators whose names figure in the list.A senior BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, said this evening that the party had asked the corporators to submit their resignations.

The resignations would be forwarded today to the pradesh chief of the party, Suryabhan Vahadne, for the party to decide, the spokesman said. If the resignations are accepted the party will be less by two in the house of 95 where it had a strength of 11.

The corporators are former deputy mayor, Datta Kamath, former transport committee chairman, Ram Nayan Yadav, and former standing committee chairman, Govardhan Bhagat. WhileKamath and Yadav are reelected in direct election from wards bhagat was coopted in the corporation.

The BJP in Thane had earlier demanded that the report of the committee appointed by the State government to go into the charges of rampant corruption in the business of the Thane corporation be published in public interest and the names in it revealed.

Another BJP leader appreciated the stand taken by the corporators and said that they had done the right thing by quitting office till they are proved innocent. Even L K Advani, whose name was linked to the Jain diary, had done the same, he said.