Uddhav Thackeray tells cadre they should prepare to go alone in civic polls slated in 25 districts; BJP says CM Fadnavis still wants alliance
Uddhav Thackeray reportedly told the meeting that Sena would win more seats if it went solo, while CM Devendra Fadnavis is willing for an alliance with Sena. File pics
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The game of one-upmanship between the Shiv Sena and BJP took a dramatic turn yesterday as the former gave a strong indication that it will go solo in the civic polls, which will be held in smaller cities over next three months, even as BJP insisted that the two parties should come together.
Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray who met party MPs, legislators and office-bearers at his Kalanagar residence, is said to have told the delegates to prepare themselves for taking on the BJP in the 212 civic bodies in 25 districts, if their ally doesn’t fall in line. Apparently, Thackeray wants a bigger say in seat-sharing with the BJP, not only in the polls that were declared two days before, but also in the major civic corporations like Mumbai, Thane and Pune where the elections will be held in February-March next year. In all 4,750 seats will go to polls.
BJP won’t play second fiddle
Unwilling to play a second fiddle to the Sena, BJP has already asked its leaders and cadres to take a decision on alliance at local level for civic polls. The BJP does not want to be associated with the Congress or NCP either. Sena wants the seat-sharing talks to be controlled by the party chief.
Sena has Mumbai, Thane, Pune and many other bigger civic corporations on its mind, where the BJP has increased its strength manifold over the two years. In Mumbai, BJP has more MLAs than Sena, and in Pune, Sena does not have a single MLA. BJP is not ready to concede seats to Sena as per their 2012 seat-sharing formula.
Sena can win more solo
Just like BJP, which thinks breaking alliance would help it land profits, Sena too assumes that it would benefit more if it contested independently. Thackeray made this clear to his men at the meeting. On October 15, mid-day had reported about BJP’s desire to contest the BMC polls alone and would not settle for anything less than 100 seats if it allies with Sena. (Alliance will cast Sena 100 seats)
Thackeray reportedly told the meeting that Sena would win more seats if it went solo. A leader who attended the meeting said that the chief underlined the importance of regional parties in state-level politics. “Thackeray gave us examples of bigger regional parties led by Mamata Bannerjee [Trinamool Congress], Mayawati [Bahujan Samaj Party] and Jayalalithaa [AIADMK]. He said that BJP’s main agenda was to finish regional parties and we should not let it happen here in Maharashtra,” said the leader.
Describing BJP as a party populated by defectors with a murky past, the Sena president is said to have told delegates that there was no point in getting a bad name for the party by joining hands with the goondas (goons) who have made BJP their home.
Meanwhile, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said elections were discussed in the meeting, but refused to part with more information. “Uddhavaji will himself announce the decision, if any,” he said.
BJP plays it down
On the other hand, BJP took Sena’s indication as a pressure tactic ahead of polls. State finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is very much willing for having an alliance with Sena. “If we think of the past 25 years, the two parties should come together. We even had a meeting of senior leaders from both sides last week. We decided that personal allegations should not be made from either side. We also discussed a common code of conduct for the two parties,” the minister said from Nagpur.
'Local leaders want alliance'
He said that the local leaders have been taking a decision on an alliance and most of them want a pact with Sena. “Only those who are likely to lose their ward to the alliance partner demand that the pact be broken. We contested together last time in Mumbai, Pune and Thane, but went separate ways in Nashik and got a beating there.”
Congress dares Sena to break alliance
Chiding Shiv Sena, the Congress’ opposition leader in the Assembly, Radhakrisna Vikhe Patil challenged Uddhav Thackeray to break its alliance with BJP. “If Sena is such a self-respecting entity then it should sever ties with BJP. In fact, BJP insults Sena frequently. Sena, which is fooling voters by talking tough, is hungry for power and it would go to any extent to remain part of this government,” said Vikhe Patil.
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