Navi Mumbai strongman and the state Environment, Excise and Guardian Minister of Thane, Ganesh Naik, and his son Sandeep submitted applications to become election agents in the bypoll for two wards of the NMMC on Saturday. Election officer Padmkar Rokde, however, rejected their plea as a minister cannot be appointed an election agent.

Two seats in the NMMC had fallen vacant after a corporator from ward 7, Devidas Chougule, was shot dead in November last year, and his brother Vijay Chougule, a corporator from ward 2 and once close to Naik, resigned from the NCP to join Shiv Sena.

Vijay is contesting from ward no 7 and NCP has pitted Anil Gavate against him, while Sena’s Kishore Gaikar and NCP’s Gopal Mahale are in the fray for ward no 2 in Airoli.

“We got an application from the NCP candidates appointing Naik and Sandeep (his son) as election agents. We referred the same to the state election commission, who turned down the plea on the ground that a minister or a person who has police protection cannot be appointed an election agent,” said Rokde. And Naik and his son both fall in his category, he said.

Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai police have geared up to avoid any untoward incident in the city. The police have ordered those with licenced arms in the two wards to surrender their weapons before the bypolls.

“We have externed more than 100 people, five people have been sent to judicial custody as a preventive measure till February 18, and Anu Angre, a historysheeter, has been detained,” said R D Shinde, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1).