Maharashtra Politics: Thackeray Brothers' 1st Election Together As MNS-Sena Alliance To Contest BEST Patpedhi Polls

Mumbai: In light of the upcoming local body elections, Shiv Sena (Thackeray) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have allied, pending the official announcement of their partnership. Both parties agreed to jointly contest the BEST Patpedhi elections, fielding a unified 'Utkarsh Panel' of candidates.

Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, have strengthened this alliance during the Hindi Sukshti protest and continued to foster brotherhood at Uddhav’s birthday celebration.

This collaboration has energized the party workers, particularly in relation to the BEST Patpedhi election scheduled for August 18, currently dominated by the Thackeray-led BEST Kamgar Sena. BEST Kamgar Sena President Suhas Samant publicised this alliance through pamphlets, indicating a unity aimed at opposing financial concessions to BEST initiatives and industry figures. The joint approach underscores a collective identity among Marathi people, reinforcing their combined resolve in the elections.

With the significance of BEST in Mumbai’s governance, the alliance is anticipated to persist into future local body elections. Concurrently, the appointment crisis for the General Manager of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) has stirred confusion, as two conflicting appointments emerged from different Maharashtra government departments.

Conflicting Appointments For BEST GM Led To Confusion

The appointment of General Manager (GM) for the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) was complicated by conflicting decisions from two Maharashtra government departments. The General Administration Department (GAD), under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, appointed Ashish Sharma, while the Urban Development Department (UDD), led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, named Ashwini Joshi.

Neither appointee took charge for a day, leading to a press release confirming Sharma's assumption of duties. Joshi's appointment was later clarified as a draft meant to address a potential workers' strike, lacking formal issuance. A mix-up arose as the UDD appointed Joshi without coordinating with GAD. Ultimately, amidst criticism from NCP MLA Rohit Pawar, Ashish Sharma was affirmed as the GM following bureaucratic confusion.