Sena-BJP-RPI set stage for civic polls

The civic by-elections to be held on June 26 is just the beginning of the victory, said Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, while addressing a packed audience at the Macchimar Nagar, Mahim, on Thursday.

The civic by-elections to be held on June 26 is just the beginning of the victory, said Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, while addressing a packed audience at the Macchimar Nagar, Mahim, on Thursday.

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“This is our traditional seat and we will win. We will also win the upcoming civic elections. But it is important to win with such a majority that the opponents will stop pitching candidates to counter us,” he said.

Uddhav, along with Bharatiya Janata Party Maharashtra state party president Sudhir Mungantiwar and their alliance partner Ramdas Athawale, appealed to voters to support Sena candidate Milind Vaidya. The by-election has come up following the death of the previous Sena candidate, Santosh Parab.

Athawale referred to the by-election as a ‘rehearsal’ and asked voters not to get bothered by the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party and ‘others’.

Mungantiwar said, “This is not a fight for water or getting an electric pole. It is about eradicating corruption from the system and this election is the start.”

Uddhav said they would protest against the MMRDA’s plan of pulling down three skywalks to accommodate the Metro.

Taking potshots at civic chief Subodh Kumar who had disqualified Sena councillor Minakshi Patil for an alleged illegal construction in her house, Uddhav said, “The Supreme Court has taken a decision to reinstate her. If you [Kumar] have so much power why not take action against Bangladeshi encroachments and illegal structures like Adarsh?”