Mumbai, Dec 16 (IANS) The BJP and Shiv Sena on Tuesday held a meeting to discuss the alliance strategy and seat sharing for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
Maharashtra Minister of Cultural Affairs and BJP in charge of BMC elections, Ashish Shelar, after the meeting, announced that they have arrived at a seat-sharing formula with a view to winning 150 plus seats of the total 227 seats in BMC elections.
“We discussed winning 150 plus corporators in BMC elections while taking on board the Ramdas Athavale-led Republican Party of India (RPI). We will meet in two days to decide how many seats the BJP and Shiv Sena each will contest,” he said.
Shelar, without naming Uddhav Thackeray, led Shiv Sena, and told reporters that some are doing politics for no reason by putting up posters.
“I have tweeted that the auspicious time has come, the voters have decided to defeat those who have looted the BMC’s treasury during its 25-year rule. The time has come to defeat Shiv Sena UBT.”
He further announced that the MahaYuti’s mayor candidate will be Marathi, adding that Shiv Sena UBT should tell from where and which lane will be its mayoral nominee.”
“Mumbai will never be separated,” said Shelar while taking a dig at Shiv Sena UBT and MNS for their claim that the BJP has hatched a plot to delink Mumbai from Maharashtra.
However, NCP was conspicuous by its absence in today’s meeting as Shelar hinted that there wouldn’t be an alliance with NCP with former minister Nawab Malik as its coordinator for BMC elections.
NCP leader Shivajirao Nalawade met Shelar and argued that NCP would like to be a part of the MahaYuti alliance.
“Malik is on bail in the money laundering case. The entire strategy of BJP-Shiv Sena is aimed at dislodging the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) from power in the BMC,” he said.
He further added that the campaign will highlight the corruption and mismanagement during the previous BMC administration.
“The meeting confirmed a united narrative against the opposition, focusing on civic issues and the delay in holding elections. A joint coordination committee has been established at the local level. This committee will be responsible for finalising the ward-wise list of candidates and resolving any local disputes before the election,” he said.
Tuesday witnessed the maiden meeting held a day after State Election Commission announced schedule for BMC elections, whereby polling is slated for January 15 and counting on January 16.
Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam and senior party legislators Atul Bhatkhalkar and Praveen Darekar were present at today’s meeting while Shiv Sena was represented by senior minister Uday Samant, who is under medical observation, from Video conferencing from the hospital, minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam, former MP Rahul Shewale and party deputy leader Sheetal Mhatre.
RPI was represented by senior leader Avinash Mahatekar.
--IANS
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