Maha CM hints at BJP’s upper hand in Sena alliance talks

Nagpur: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday clearly hinted at the upper hand of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while joining hands with Shiv Sena for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls scheduled next year.

Lamenting about corruption in the BMC in last few years, the CM said that BJP’s emphasis is on transparent work. He even said Sena should consider BJP’s increased strength while talking about the alliance.

Alleged corruption in BMC might become an issue between Sena and BJP while forging an alliance for the coming polls. Talking to journalists, Mr Fadnavis expressed concern about the corruption in the local body and wastage of funds. Referring to BJP’s increased strength in numbers in Mumbai post the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in 2014, he said, “One thing should be understood, that BJP’s strength has been increased. Our emphasis is on clean and transparent functioning. In the last few months, corruption charges are made against BMC, which needs to be clarified.”

The Shiv Sena, which is ruling BMC, has faced corruption allegations in nullah cleaning and road construction.

Giving an example of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the body run by the CM, Mr Fadnavis said the authority was doing lot of work for the city with meagre funds.

“The MMRDA has a budget of only Rs 5,000 crore but it is working on projects worth RS 70,000 crore. The BMC has a much bigger budget than the MMRDA to improve the city’s infrastructure. But the BMC is not seen working in that direction,” he said.

Local BJP leaders said that the party wanted 100 seats for the BMC polls — almost half the seats in the body — from Sena, which the latter is reluctant to give.