BJP set for battle with Shiv Sena as Opposition in BMC

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set for a showdown with its former ally, Shiv Sena, in Mumbai, as it has decided to play the role of the Opposition party in

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set for a showdown with its former ally, Shiv Sena, in Mumbai, as it has decided to play the role of the Opposition party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

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The BJP on Thursday submitted a letter to mayor Kishori Pednekar, claiming the post of the leader of Opposition by nominating party’s Mulund corporator and former Sena leader Prabhakar Shinde. So far, the Congress was the main Opposition party in the country’s richest body and its corporator Ravi Raja was the leader of the Opposition.

The BJP and Shiv Sena ruled the civic body in an alliance for almost two decades, but the BJP decided to contest the 2017 civic polls on its own. The Sena managed to retain power even after falling short of a simple majority, while the BJP came a close second. As the two parties were running the state government together, the BJP chose not to oppose the Sena in the BMC and took a neutral stand.

Following the 2019 Assembly elections, after which the Sena formed the government with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the BJP has now decided to take on the Uddhav Thackeray-led party in the BMC. This could mean the BJP would sharpen its attack on the Sena over the functioning of the BMC in the run-up to the 2022 civic polls. Party leaders feel they can snatch the BMC from the Sena. The Shiv Sena has 95 corporators in the 227-member civic house, the BJP has 83, followed by Congress, NCP and Samajwadi Party. Manoj Kotak, BJP MP, said, “We are now in the Opposition in the state, and also want to play the role of the Opposition in the BMC for Mumbaiites. After the Congress went with the Shiv Sena to form the state government, it has no moral right to remain in the Opposition in the BMC. We have submitted our claim, and we expect it to be accepted, failing which approaching the court will be the last option. We are the second largest party in the BMC.”

Civic officials said unless the Congress decides to join the Shiv Sena in the BMC, the BJP can’t claim the post. Pednekar said, “There is no scope for me to take any decision in my personal capacity. I will do what the provision mandates, and for this I will have discussions with the law department and the municipal secretary’s office.” Raja said, “Just because we are together in the state, doesn’t mean we are together in the BMC. Also, the BJP had refused to accept the position after the election.”

Political commentator Abhay Deshpande said: “The BJP, with its numbers, can make a lot of difference, even if they decide to be in the Opposition without being officially nominated,” he said.