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MNS backs Shinde Sena; BJP, Congress deal with divisions: Roadblocks for parties amid mayor race across Maharashtra
Attempts are being made to woo corporators from opposing parties, build ties with long-time rivals and use pressure methods to gain support.
Days after the election results of several civic bodies across Maharashtra, political tensions are rising as cracks begin to emerge in the alliances. Among them is Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) extending support to the Shiv Sena in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), as the BJP and the Congress accuse each other of trying to approach the rival party’s corporators.
Attempts are being made to woo corporators from opposing parties, build ties with long-time rivals and use pressure methods to gain support. This political churn can be seen in Kolhapur, Chandrapur, Malegaon, Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), Ulhasnagar and the BMC, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
Cracks in Thackeray alliance? MNS backs Shinde Sena
In the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, the MNS offered support to the Shiv Sena to boost Shinde’s push for a majority, a move that has dealt a setback to the newly formed alliance between the Thackeray cousins.
Adding to Uddhav Thackeray’s problems, four of his 11 corporators in the KDMC are currently not reachable, HT had reported earlier. Hours later, Shiv Sena (UBT) announced the return of Sarita Mhaske, a newly elected corporator in Mumbai who was incommunicado amid speculation that she was rejoining the Shinde Sena.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut told ANI that he had spoken to Raj Thackeray about the developments in the Kalyan Dombivli civic body. “Raj Thackeray is distraught over this development. He said some people at the local level have taken this decision, and it is not the decision of the MNS party,” he said.
Rift in Sena-BJP alliance?
Shinde’s effort to take control in Kalyan is also expected to cause differences between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. The two parties had fought the civic polls together but have since been locked in ongoing disputes.
In Ulhasnagar, the Shinde Sena is also trying to secure a majority without the BJP’s support. Here, the two parties did not contest the elections as allies. In the 78-member house, the BJP holds 37 seats, while the Shiv Sena has 36.
As the majority mark stands at 40, Shinde has gained the backing of three corporators, two from Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and one independent, as per the HT report.
BJP vs Congress and internal factionalism issues
The Congress, which has emerged as the largest party in Chandrapur with 27 seats, has accused the BJP, which holds 23 seats, of trying to retain power by reaching out to independents, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and some Congress corporators, HT reported earlier.
Meanwhile, former Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said several Congress corporators were in contact with the BJP. “Since no party has secured a clUddear majority, the BJP has initiated talks with other parties,” he said, adding that the BJP’s aim was the “development” of the city.
Both the Congress and the BJP are also dealing with internal divisions. The BJP is split between groups led by Mungantiwar and Kishore Jorgewar, while the Congress is divided between factions led by party leader Vijay Wadettiwar and party MP Pratibha Dhanorkar.
