Six MNS corporators make their way to Shiv Sena

Cashing in on the Elphinstone stampede, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder Raj Thackeray had once again tried to get his party back on track; unfortunately, he failed miserably. Even after his attempts to win back the trust of voters, by taking jibes at the Shiv Sena, a political masterstroke by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray shattered his hopes.

(From left) Archana Bhalerao, Harshala More, Parmeshwar Kadam, Dilip Lande, Uddhav Thackeray, Dattaram Narvankar, Snehal Matekar

Second shocker
In an unexpected move, six MNS corporators, who were apparently upset about a number of issues within the party, joined the Sena on Friday. This comes as a second shocker for Raj's party, after the first one during the BMC election in February, when only seven candidates got elected compared to the 28 seats it'd secured in 2012.

The rebellious faction comprising senior corporator Dilip Lande from Kurla, Archana Bhalerao from Ghatkopar, Parmeshwar Kadam from Vikhroli, Harshala More and Dattaram Narvankar from Worli and Snehal Matekar from Ghatkopar was unavailable throughout the day, but suddenly appeared along with Uddhav in the evening for a press conference. Now, only a single corporator Sanjay Turde from Kurla remains with the MNS.

According to sources, the main reason behind this move appears to be the fact that Lande was not happy with the MNS leadership for the past four years, as he was sidelined after former corporator Sandeep Deshpande was promoted as the group leader in BMC. However, the municipal department is yet to be officially told about the decision.

Corrupt practices
Meanwhile, on receiving the news, MNS general secretary Shirish Sawant wrote a letter to the Konkan commissioner requesting him not to validate the corporators' entry into the Sena. In the letter, Sawant mentioned, "Some political parties in the state are luring corporators to form a separate group. Such activities malign the values of democracy, hence they should not be authorised."

Taking a dig at the Sena, BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said that the party bribed the corporators to get their support. In a letter that he wrote to the Konkan commissioner, he said, "It is understood that a major political party (Shiv Sena) is trying to get the support of corporators by paying crores to them. Those who are indulging in such corrupt practices should be dealt with strongly."

While addressing a press conference on Friday, Uddhav said, "I don't understand why others get cramps in their stomachs when some corporators join us." He further mentioned that it was like a homecoming for the MNS corporators, as they were earlier in Sena. When asked whether his cousin was upset about the move or not, he said, "The corporators wished to join the party and we welcomed them."

Commenting on the move, Bala Nandgaonkar, MNS leader, said, "Entry and exit are parts of the system. People who have left the party will definitely regret their decision, but it's unfortunate that the Sena needs MNS corporators to establish their power in the BMC."