Mumbai: Expressing his resolve to make Mumbai free from illegal hoardings and banners, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde indicated that the elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will be held in October this year.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde On Road Concretisation
Speaking with Navshakti, the Dy CM, who heads the Urban Development Department, said the road concretisation work in Mumbai will be completed within a year and offer ease of travel to motorists. When asked about the civic elections in Maharashtra, and alignment with the BJP, Shinde said, “We will contest the elections with the BJP wherever possible after assessing the local situation.”
When asked if the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena would be part of the alliance, he said he couldn't comment on that at the present moment. When asked about the terrible condition of the roads in Mumbai, Shinde said the administration of the BMC has been told to ensure quality work.
The barricades put up for the work have to be reduced to minimise the hardships motorists are facing. “I have told the officials not to compromise on the quality of the road work”, the Dy CM assured. “The assembly elections held in November last year have shown that people are with us. We contested on 80 seats, winning 57, and the Shiv Sena UBT contested 100, of which they could win just 20,”pointed out Shinde, who rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022.
“The real Shiv Sena is with us. Now it's not just the leaders but common workers who are also willing to join us. Soon, all the former Shiv Sena corporators will come to us,” Shinde predicted.
On Controversies
About the controversies over issues such as Aurangzeb, differences between the ministers, the Dy CM said it was Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi, who raked up Aurangzeb. “No one should try to glorify the Mughal emperor. My colleagues in the cabinet are working zealously for the people, and this is helping the administration to be active. Despite the jealousy exhibited by the Shiv Sena UBT leaders, we will continue to work in the interest of the people, ignoring the defamatory words used by them, such as khoke, unconstitutional government, etc” he said.
