Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: With the election schedule of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) declared, the political atmosphere in the city has heated up.
Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have formed an alliance, but Shiv Sena (Shinde) has already begun campaigning even before the finalisation of seat-sharing between the two parties. The BJP, however, has not yet made a decision. Senior leaders from both parties have gone to Mumbai to resolve the seat-sharing issue.
Meanwhile, the internal dispute within Shiv Sena (UBT) has once again come to the fore. Former mayor Rashid Mamu recently joined Shiv Sena (UBT) in the presence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray. However, his induction has triggered differences within the party. When Mamu went to meet former MP Chandrakant Khaire on Monday, Khaire openly told him that he opposed his entry into the party. Mamu asked Khaire whether his opposition was personal, following which Khaire went inside Shiv Sena Bhavan without speaking to him.
Khaire has alleged that Mamu pelted stones at Shiv Sainiks during the 1986 riots and was jailed for a year, and said this was the reason for opposing his entry into the party. Despite this, Mamu completed his interview before observers Waman Kadam and Mangesh Dalvi and demanded candidature for the election.
Former leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said Mamu joined the party in the presence of party chief Thackeray. The decision on whether he should be given candidature would be taken by Thackeray, he said.
