Sena factions lock horns over office ‘takeover’ in BMC

Mumbai: The two Sena factions crossed swords with each other on Wednesday afternoon at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), when members of the ruling Eknath Shinde camp, Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS), arrived to purportedly stake claim on the old party office

Mumbai: The two Sena factions crossed swords with each other on Wednesday afternoon at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), when members of the ruling Eknath Shinde camp, Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS), arrived to purportedly stake claim on the old party office.

Sena factions lock horns over office ‘takeover’ in BMC

At around 3 pm, MP Rahul Shewale, former standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav, and party spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre, arrived at the civic headquarters to meet municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, to discuss ongoing civic projects. Along the way, they visited Shiv Sena’s party office and garlanded the photographs of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bal Thackeray.

This led to a kerfuffle between the two factions, with members of the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT), alleging that the Shinde camp was trying to take over their office. It ended with the Sena office being sealed by the end of the day.

Mhatre, also a former corporator from Dahisar West said, “After discussing various beautification projects and rejuvenation of rivers with Chahal, we went to the Sena office. Members of the other faction were also present and we chatted with them. Soon, some people stormed in and started sloganeering. We do not object to their presence in the office. They cannot do so either. We were sitting silently. They should not have taken law into their hands.”

Yashwant Jadhav, former standing committee chairman from the Shinde faction concurred, observing the office was created around “Balasaheb’s thoughts and principles and so it should not be a problem for anyone”. “The other faction came and tried to spoil the atmosphere. We were sitting silently,” he said, emphasising that the team had discussed cleaning gullies, roads and the issue of homes for safai kamgars.

Sachin Padwal, former corporator from Sewri, from the Uddhav Thackeray faction, said, his colleagues were at the civic headquarters for routine follow-ups, which they have been doing since the past 10 months.

“Our typists sit at the office. They draft letters for work that needs to be done and submit it to Chahal. We have been doing this ever since BMC’s deliberative wing was dissolved in March. Today, members of the Shinde faction came to sit at the party office,” said Padwal. “We retorted as they inappropriately said that this was their office.”

Padwal added that Sena (UBT) has 104 former corporators while Sena (BSS) three.

“We don’t have a problem with them, but the three former corporators of the faction have no gumption to sit among us. The Shinde faction has been in power since five months and has visited BMC only today,” he said, adding offices of all parties are always kept open which are visited by former corporators.

Padwal said he was visiting Chanda Jadhav, deputy municipal commissioner, to discuss the issue of constructing new public toilets in place of old ones; no contractor had been appointed for the project since one year. “It is the responsibility of the present faction to ensure law and order is not disrupted. Shewale or Jadhav should have stopped this tussle.”

Pandurang Sakpal, divisional head of Shiv Sena (UBT) from South Mumbai said, “I rushed to BMC after a call from the staff of our party office, informing that leaders of Sena (BSS) had entered the space. We had a heated argument with them, including MP Rahul Shewale – I warned them not to enter our party office again, as they are no longer with us. They left only when police intervened. From tomorrow, our corporators will sit in the party office.”

Shewale denied the opposing faction’s allegations, saying, they had dropped by only for a “courtesy visit and to meet people who work there”. “I was associated with them as a chairman of standing committee and corporator in the past. The allegations of a take-over are false. But now, following this episode, the party office has been sealed,” he said.

Chahal refused to comment on Wednesday’s incident.

(With inputs with inputs from Saurabh Kulkshreshtha)