Editorial in party mouthpiece advocates coming together of Sena and BJP for sake of development
Mumbai :After the showdown in the run-up to the KDMC elections and a not-so-great show in the results, the Shiv Sena appeared tamed down on Tuesday even as the state BJP president said that the party is “exploring all possibilities”.
The Shiv Sena’s tamed view was reflected in the editorial of the party mouthpiece, Saamana, which advocated the coming together of the BJP and Shiv Sena for the sake of development.
Referring to the outcome in the bitterly-fought KDMC elections, the editorial said that though the Shiv Sena was challenged, it “roared” loudly and the people have put it on the threshold of capturing power.
Although the edit urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ponder why the public mood had changed in one year since the Assembly polls, the Sena said it accepted the result of the civic election “with all humility” and would work for the development of the KDMC area. “The public mood is mixed but in favour of the Sena. In the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP won in Kalyan-Dombivali, which is essentially a Sena bastion, and this was proved again by the outcome of the civic polls,” the edit said.
Yet another reflection of the Sena’s tamed mood was the cabinet meeting. All Shiv Sena ministers, except the guardian minister of Thane, Eknath Shinde — who had threatened to resign in the last leg of the election — were present at the cabinet meeting. Shinde, too, was said to have sought prior permission from the chief minister to stay away from the meeting.
On the other hand, the BJP appeared in an aggressive mood after emerging as the largest party in the council elections. “The BJP has won 254 out of 1,009 seats of 59 municipal councils across the state. This is the largest number any single party has won,” state BJP president Raosaheb Danve said.
He also said that the party will explore all “natural possibilities” and have its own Mayor in the KDMC as well as in Kolhapur.
“In KDMC, the BJP won 42 seats and we have the support of nine other winning candidates,” Danve said after the meeting of the party’s state core committee here.
“To understand who is the ‘baap’ (father/dominant party) now, one has to consider who has the highest number of seats right from the Lok Sabha to gram panchayats,” he said in an obvious reference to the Shiv Sena leaders’ Dusserrah rally speeches.
“There is no bitterness… allegations, counter-allegations are over with the end of election,” he said.
The BJP’s strategy of contesting the elections on its own had borne fruit, increasing its strength in the KDMC by five times, he said.
“Party workers are happy with the decision to contest alone. They have found a new confidence. The new Mayor will be elected before November 11,” he said.
