BMC polls: MP says BJP will contest solo, party distances itself

MUMBAI: Is Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya a loose cannon or a part of the party’s calibrated strategy for the upcoming Mumbai civic polls?

MUMBAI: Is Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya a loose cannon or a part of the party’s calibrated strategy for the upcoming Mumbai civic polls?

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Somiaya on Wednesday set the ball rolling for another heated spat between allies BJP and Shiv Sena when he said his party would contest all 227 wards in Mumbai and any alliance with the Sena had been ruled out by the top brass. Somaiya said it was time to end the mafia raj controlling the civic body.

The party’s top leaders quickly distanced themselves from the comments, saying no such decision had been taken. But the clarification seemed too mellow.

“We are contesting all 227 wards in the BMC polls. There was never any question of having an alliance with the Shiv Sena. It has been proven the Mumbai civic body is ridden with scams. It is time to end this mafia raj,” Somiaya said, while taking a jibe at the Sena that has been controlling the civic body for two decades.

“In the state and the Centre, where we have our government, corruption has been kept under check. Contesting the civic polls solo will not have any repercussions on having the Sena as an ally at the Centre or the state,” he said.

Somaiya’s statement only confirm what many Sena and BJP leaders have been saying off the record. They were made the day the BJP state executive went into a huddle ahead of the local elections and just days after the BMC announced the redrawing of the city’s electoral map. In the meeting, the CM had stayed mum on the alliance with the Sena, but said the BJP’s victory was inevitable.

Sources close to chief minister, however, maintained no decision on the alliance had been taken so far and Somaiya was making statements in his personal capacity. “While preparing for elections, the BJP will prepare for all seats, just like it does in any other state, and not just a few wards. But, the time for discussions for an alliance has not come yet. When it does, we will think about an alliance,” said state party president Raosaheb Danve, after an executive meeting. Danve refused to comment on the functioning of the Mumbai civic body.

Political observers said BJP was taking a leaf from its 2014 polls tactic, where it kept room for seat-sharing talks open until the very end. This time too, the party is unlikely to settle for less than 100 seats, a demand that is unlikely to be met by Sena.

“This is a standard bargaining tactic. Fadnavis also wants to ensure the bitterness during elections doesn’t hurt the stability of the state government. And, there is enough room to have a post-poll alliance even if parties have a bitter pre-BMC polls tussle,” said a senior BJP leader.

Another BJP minister pointed out the high decibel saffron allies tussle had effectively edged out the Opposition as contenders in the Mumbai battle. “Is anyone talking of the Congress or any other party ahead of the BMC polls?,’’ the minister asked.

On ground, the BJP has already launched its polls campaign ‘Mee Mumbai’, hijacking Sena’s two earlier campaigns. Preparations for the civic polls, as Somaiya told HT, “were in the third gear”.

The damage the BJP has done to the Sena and the BMC in the past year-and-a half by initiating probes in several scams — roads, de-silting and now buildings — is more than what the Opposition could achieve in the past five years.

The Sena, on its part, believes Fadnavis and Thackeray are keen on an alliance, but factionalism within the BJP is leading to such statements.

Rahul Shewale, Shiv Sena MP and a senior party leader from Mumbai, said, “There are two groups within the BJP, one in favour of working with the Sena, the other, which is not. Leaders from the first are in touch with Sena leaders and will make statements only after discussions are concluded. Somaiya clearly belongs to the second group.