‘BJP intention to go solo is clear’

Says ally Sena on 2017 BMC elections

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election has become a fresh bone of contention between the two ruling alliance partners in the state government, with the Shiv Sena now claiming that the BJP has already made public its plans to go solo in the upcoming polls.

The BJP’s ambition to unfurl its party flag atop the BMC has not gone down well with the Shiv Sena that has considered it as a signal from its ally of its plans to go solo in the 2017 polls. Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve had on Monday repeatedly said that his party’s aim was to unfurl its party flag atop the BMC, a signal that the party may contest the polls without the Sena. Mr Danve had also sought to evade queries on whether his party would form an alliance with the Sena prior to the polls.

“They (the BJP) are living in a fool’s paradise if they think they will win the BMC polls. Their statements indicate they have no plans to ally with us. It’s good they have alerted us in advance this time and not like the Assembly polls when they had backstabbed us,” senior Sena leader Ramdas Kadam said on Wednesday. “If they say they will unfurl their flag over the BMC, I wish to tell them we will sit on their chest and hoist our flag there. Let them try and stop us,” he added.

When asked about a statement made by a BJP leader saying his party would win at least 120 seats in the BMC polls, state environment minister Mr Kadam said, “Why only 120 The BJP should say it will win all the seats.”

The BMC is currently ruled by the Shiv Sena which has a hold on 89 out of 227 corporators and its ally BJP has 32. The rest are divided between Congress (52), Sharad Pawar's NCP (13), MNS (27) and others.

Meanwhile, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting of senior party leaders as well as ministers at Shiv Sena Bhavan and took review of upcoming municipal Council elections.

A Sena insider said that Mr Thackeray told party leaders to work on the ground level. “We have to contest all the upcoming elections on our own strength and our opponent will be BJP along with the Congress and NCP. So, be ready to increase ground level work,” Mr Thackeray had said, the source stated.