Shiv Sena versus BJP in Maharashtra: Pune, Thane and Nashik civic polls will see tough battle

Not just the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune, Thane and Nashik local body polls too are likely to see an intense battle between the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the two parties that have better influence over the state’s urban population compared to the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Not just the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune, Thane and Nashik local body polls too are likely to see an intense battle between the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the two parties that have better influence over the state’s urban population compared to the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The civic polls in these cities are significant in the context of the next assembly elections, as these cities together have 40 Assembly constituencies and cash-rich civic bodies. The NCP and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are also likely to be key players in these cities. (FILE)

The civic polls in these cities are significant in the context of the next assembly elections, as these cities together have 40 Assembly constituencies and cash-rich civic bodies. The NCP and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are also likely to be key players in these cities. Although retaining power in the Mumbai civic body will be Sena’s top priority, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is also planning to wrest power in civic bodies of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nashik, which are controlled by the BJP. It will also try to ensure it retains power in the Thane civic body. For the BJP, the challenge is to retain power in Pune, Nashik and Pimpri-Chinchwad, especially if the Shiv Sena and NCP join hands to contest polls in these cities. The NCP has a strong presence in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and sizeable presence in Nashik. Next year, over 190 municipal councils, 11 municipal corporations and over 20 zilla parishads will go to polls, which are being touted as mini-assembly elections.

The battle for Pune

Pune district has two civic bodies – Pune and its neighbouring city, Pimpri-Chinchwad. In 2017, the BJP won both the civic bodies. For the Sena, the victory in civic polls will be needed to expand its foothold in Pune, where it has no legislators.

Over the past few months, senior Sena leaders have been visiting Pune city and holding meetings with party functionaries. In September last week, Sena scion and minister Aaditya Thackeray visited Pimpri and Pune cities. He also chaired a review meeting with Sena’s corporators of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic bodies. Sena leader Sanjay Raut also toured Pune earlier this week and held meetings with office-bearers, indicating the party has Pune on its priority list. This was Raut’s third visit there in the past two months.

Sena insiders said senior party leaders will hold talks with NCP leaders and Congress over alliance for local body polls. The Sena has already held meetings with local functionaries to gauge the mood among the cadre on the issue of alliance. In Pune city, the Sena currently has 10 corporators, while the BJP has 99 in the 164-member body. The NCP, meanwhile, is stronger in the city with 42 seats. In the 128-member Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body, the Sena has nine seats, while the NCP and BJP have 36 and 77 seats, respectively.

Internal discussions between Sena leaders and local functionaries suggested the Sena is unlikely to go above 15 to 18 seats in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, given its limited presence in assembly constituencies. “We will try [for an alliance] so that there is no division of votes. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi will try to remain together [for local body polls]. I have said this earlier as well that the next mayor in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad will be ours (Sena’s). Puneiites also wish that the saffron flag of Shiv Sena should fly atop the municipal corporation,” Raut said during his visit to Pune earlier this week.

Traditionally, a large chunk of seats from Pune district went to the BJP in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, when the two parties were in an alliance. The constituencies there have more Brahmin voters than any other cities in the state. With major seats in their side, coupled with caste equations, the BJP was successful in gaining control of the Pune civic body in 2017 from NCP, which held sway in the region.

The Sena was not able to expand electorally in Pune despite a good presence at the grassroots. Not just the BJP, it also faced tough competition from the NCP over the years. Currently, the Shiv Sena does not have a single MLA from any of the 21 assembly seats in the Pune district. Thus, gaining control of local bodies, including rural and urban bodies, is crucial for the party, Sena insiders said.

“For several years we have been working in Pune. [Sena Supremo] Balasaheb [Thackeray] too spent a lot of time in Pune. But we were never able to have our mayor in Pune, and we regret it. We feel that this time we can fulfil our dream to install a Shiv Sena mayor,” Raut added.

In a bid to fulfil this “dream”, the party has carried out organisational changes in September. It appointed two key people in Pune to coordinate with the workers in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and the party leadership. According to party insiders, Aaditya Thackeray handpicked Sachin Ahir as Sampark Pramukh for Pune district, as well as Aditya Shirodkar, who quit MNS’s student wing to join the Sena in July, as deputy Sampark Pramukh.

Meanwhile, the BJP is confident of keeping control of local bodies in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Jagdish Mulik, a former legislator from Vadegaon Sheri in Pune, and in charge of the BJP unit in Pune said, “Traditionally, the Shiv Sena never had any hold in Pune. People will vote us back to power. Sena has about nine of 10 corporators, which will come down to four or five.”

A BJP functionary from Pimpri-Chinchwad, who did not wish to be named said, “The challenge before the BJP here will be the NCP and not Shiv Sena. The NCP has been strong in the region. They (NCP and Shiv Sena) have an advantage of being in power, but we are prepared for the challenge.” Raj Thackeray’s MNS could be a player in Pune and is likely to be part of BJP’s strategy.

Nashik

Nashik is controlled by the BJP with 66 seats in the 122-member body. The Sena has 35 seats while the NCP and Congress have six seats each and MNS has five seats.

Raut, who is in charge of the Nashik district, has visited Nashik and engaged with Sena workers to mobilise them ahead of the crucial civic polls.

In Nashik, the tussle between the Sena and NCP was in the open in the last few weeks with Sena MLA Suhas Kande engaging in a war of words with NCP minister and Nashik guardian minister Chhagan Bhujbal over the allotment of development funds. Kande, who defeated Bhujbal’s son Pankaj in the 2019 assembly polls in Nandgaon, even moved the court over seeking the removal of the senior NCP leaders as the guardian minister.

Bhau Chaudhari, Sena Sampark Pramukh of Nashik district, said the party is focusing on strengthening itself at the organisational level.

The MNS was in power in Nashik civic body before it was won by the BJP in 2017 polls. The MNS is hoping to regain the only civic body it had control on but it will fight a crowded battle with the BJP on one side and probably a Shiv Sena-NCP alliance on the other. MNS chief Raj Thackeray has started tours of Pune and Nashik. Thackeray’s son Amit too has been touring the two cities. Raj has held meetings with party brass in Pune and Nashik. MNS held the Nashik municipal corporation in 2012, but it lost to BJP in 2017. The BJP is undecided on alliance with MNS here.

Thane

In Thane, the Shiv Sena controls the civic body. Like Mumbai, control over Thane civic body is a matter of prestige for the party. The Sena has 67 seats in the 131-member body. The NCP is the second largest with 34 seats, followed by the BJP with 23 seats. The Congress has three seats. A Sena functionary said, “The TMC has traditionally been our bastion and we will regain control of it.”

BJP gameplan

According to party insiders, the BJP is gearing up for next year’s mini-assembly polls in a major way. Party campaign will be spearheaded by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. “Fadnavis has a good reputation in these cities due to the infrastructure work undertaken by him during his tenure as chief minister. Besides, Prime Minister Modi has huge following among urban voters which will help us more than the 2017 civic polls,” said a key party leader.

The party is putting together massive election machinery and unleash a campaign which will be much bigger than its rivals’. Besides, the party is considering a tacit understanding with MNS to dent Shiv Sena’s numbers, as the voter base is largely the same for the two parties.

MVA front a non-starter

The MVA allies have not formally decided to forge an alliance in any of the civic or district bodies that are scheduled to go to polls early next year, but the Sena and NCP are considering joining hands in Thane, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nashik, according to MVA insiders. Leaders said they would assess the situation and the mood of the functionaries and decide. The recent bypolls to district councils have given a boost to the MVA but they are yet not clear on how they will fight the elections.

An alliance between the MVA partners could help them keep control of these important civic bodies, and more importantly, keep BJP out of power. The recent move by the MVA government to reintroduce the multi-member ward in the municipal corporation and municipal council areas will help them force an alliance. In municipal corporation areas, a three-member ward panel has been adopted, which could ease out alliance issues for the Sena, NCP and Congress.

In the new system, voters will elect a three-member panel in each of the wards in municipal corporation areas. “It can prove to be helpful to iron out alliance if it is decided on. We can accommodate alliance partners in a 2:1 ratio depending on each party’s strength in that area,” the leader added.

NCP state president Jayant Patil said they would try and work out an alliance with MVA partners wherever possible for local body polls. “We will try and come together for the municipal corporation, municipal council elections. I am confident that wherever possible, there we will have an alliance. It may not happen for all [elections] but largely we can try to have,” he said. He added that despite no alliance in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti bypolls the three parties could keep BJP away from growing.

Political analyst Hemant Desai said that the Sena and NCP has the advantage of being in power while going into the civic elections. Desai however dismissed Sena’s claim to install its mayor in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. “It was a childish statement, given the fact it it only has nine or 10 corporators. However, the MVA allies can join hands in Pune district. In Nashik, it will be a contest between BJP and Shiv Sena. The Sena will be able to regain Thane on the back of work done by the civic body and the mass popularity of Eknath Shinde. BJP will, however, get central ministers like Narayan Rane, Kapil Patil to campaign to use PM Modi’s popularity. Overall, the ties between Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar is good so ironing out issues over alliance will not be an issue.”

Madhav Bhandari, vice president of Maharashtra BJP, said that the party will retain ground in Pune and Nashik civic bodies. He added that BJP will take control of the Thane municipal corporation as the people of the city are tired of the corruption and hooliganism of Shiv Sena. “Shiv Sena has negligible presence in Pune, whereas NCP has some strengthen in local bodies. We have done good work in the last five years and especially in the Covid period. We are sure of getting the mandate of the people. We are organisationally strong in Pune and Nashik right down to booth level, while the MVA will use its power unabashedly. The people of Thane are fed up of the corruption and hooliganism of the Shiv Sena for years now, and they will not be able to keep this bastion of theirs,” he said.