Fight is between us and Sena, BJP will be pushed to third place: Mumbai Congress chief

During a candid interaction with Hindustan Times journalists at the newspaper’s office, Nirupam said the Congress will not allow the two ruling parties to team up to power after elections and they will have to sit in opposition...

Claiming that the 2017 Mumbai civic poll results will be surprising, Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam on Monday said that the fight was between his party and Shiv Sena while the Bharatiya Janata Party will be pushed to third position. Nirupam said the hardcore Sena votes are not enough for the party to win and the BJP will not get the support of the Marathi and the non-Marathi voters.

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam (HT file)

During a candid interaction with Hindustan Times journalists at the newspaper’s office, Nirupam said the Congress will not allow the two ruling parties to team up to power after elections and they will have to sit in opposition. He also claimed that no party will be able to cross the mark of 80 seats in the 227-seat civic body going to election on February 21.

“BJP assumes to be largest party in the state, but it’s my strong belief and not prediction, that it will be thrown to the number three position. Shiv Sena and BJP’s long standing drama of fighting ahead of the election and joining hands after the polls will no longer be accepted by the voters. Now, the fight for the top position is between us and the Sena,” he said.

Nirupam said that barring one or two seats each in areas such as Bhandup, Mulund, Kandivali, Jogeshwari and Kandivali , the Sena is not in the position to win without having support of other communities. He said that Sena’s fate in its bastion of Mahim and Dadar depends on the performance of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.