BJP, NCP leaders talk of going solo in BMC

BJP, NCP leaders talk of going solo in BMC

FPJ BureauUpdated: Thursday, May 30, 2019, 12:15 PM IST
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Muscle flexing starts in run-up to city polls,“We are prepared to contest all 227 wards for BMC elections alone. Our aim is to end the mafia raj in BMC. ”

Mumbai : Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday announced that BJP would contest all the 227 wards and ruled out an alliance with Shiv Sena. Launching a blistering attack on their ally in the state government, Somaiya said, “We are prepared to contest all 227 wards for BMC elections alone. Our aim is to end the mafia raj in BMC. We want toput a full stop to the massive corruption that has been going on in the MCGM.”

However, BJP’s state chief Raosaheb Danve Patil immediately refuted Somaiya’s announcement and clarified that it was not the party’s official stand. Patil, however, did not clarify if the party will go ahead with Sena for the MCGM polls which are due in February 2017. “The statement that he has made is in his personal capacity. All the local units of the BJP have been given the authority to decide about alliance with other party.

So far, the discussions [between parties] have not begun,” Danve Patil said. BJP and Sena, who are alliance partners since 25 years, separately contested the 2014 state Assembly elections. After the results, Sena supported BJP and entered the government. Some senior leaders from BJP and Sena indicated that Somaiya’s statement may be a tactic to claim more seats during seat-sharing talks with Sena.

Meanwhile, Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said that the final decision about alliance lies with the party heads. “The BJP state chief and the chief minister have distanced themselves from Somaiya’s comments so we don’t need to take cognizance of what anybody else says. However, the final decision about the alliance will be taken by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Devendra Fadnavis and Danve Patil,” Gorhe said.

On the other hand, Mumbai chief of the Nationalist Congress Party, Sachin Ahir too made a statement that his party is open to contest the MCGM polls without an alliance with the Congress party. Ahir said that NCP can contest all the 227 wards on its strength. “We will wait till a certain time to forge an alliance with the Congress, post that we will go ahead and contest all the seats solo,” Ahir said.

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said that NCP is free to not join hands with Congress. “Every party or organisation has got their right to decide, so let them fight alone,” Nirupam said.

A senior Congress, however, dismissed Ahir’s statement and said that NCP doesn’t have the means to contest alone. “They don’t have the strength to win MCGM election on their own. We think they are flexing muscle for a better bargain when the discussions happen,” a Congress functionary said requesting anonymity.

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