Raj makes potholes his poll plank

As he launched his campaign to win municipal elections in neighbouring Kalyan-Dombivli, Maharashrta Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray chose to highlight the issue that has the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine on the backfoot — pothole-filled roads.

As he launched his campaign to win municipal elections in neighbouring Kalyan-Dombivli, Maharashrta Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray chose to highlight the issue that has the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine on the backfoot — pothole-filled roads.

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“If we win the civic polls in Kalyan-Dombivli, I will put a clause in road contracts that the contractors will have to repair the roads if they get damaged within a certain period.

The contractors will have to repair the road free of cost,” Raj said while a releasing list of MNS candidates for the elections at a press conference on Sunday. Raj announced a list of its 100 candidates mostly new faces .

The remaining seven candidates will be declared in next 2-3 days

The list of candidates has over 90 percent new faces. There is a small section of sons and daughters of legislators and party leaders. Vaishali Darekar, who contested the parliamentary election on an MNS ticket, is now contesting the civic election. MLA Ramesh Patil’s daughter Pragati Mhatre and ex-MLA Harichandra Patil’s son Harshad too figured in the list. Former corporators—mostly Sena men who joined MNS—Prakash Dalvi, Uday Samel, Faizal Jalal and Sudesh Chudnaik are also among the party candidates.

Raj refused to reveal the issues he will be highighting during his campaign for the election on October 31. He said his party will come up with its manifesto soon, which he described as Vachaknama.

The MNS is making a serious bid to win the municipal election in the Maharashtrian- dominated twin towns of Kalyan-Dombivli. The MNS has so far not won a single municipal body in the state.

Its main rival, Shiv Sena’s strength comes from key civic bodies in the state.

The MNS already has two MLAs in the Kalyan area and it is confident that it will win most of the 107 seats of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation.