Congress to field candidate for mayor's post
The country's richest corporation, the Shiv Sena and BJP are trying to prove their majority by luring more corporators.
Mumbai: In a bid to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) away from power in the Brihanmumbai municipal corporation (BMC), the Congress with its 31 corporators has decided to contest the mayoral election with its own candidate. The party has been given a proposal to join hands with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Samajwadi Party (SP).
To wield power at the country’s richest corporation, the Shiv Sena and BJP are trying to prove their majority by luring more corporators. The Sena with its 84 corporators has been able to woo four Independents and claims that two more come in the their fold. While the BJP claims that one independent’s support makes its total tally to 83. If pundits are to be believed that then the Sena seems to be wining the mayor’s post. However, BJP sources claim the scenario could change in the next few days.
“We are fielding a candidate for the mayor’s post. We have sent a proposal to NCP and SP to join us and support our candidate. We do not want to support the BJP or Shiv Sena,” said Congress Mumbai president Sanjay Nirupam. The party was slammed after there were reports that the Congress would back the Sena to keep the BJP away from BMC.
Insiders say that despite fielding its own candidate, the Congress will help the Sena. “The Congress does not have sufficient numbers for the mayor’s post. So its 31 votes do not matter to the Shiv Sena or BJP. The Sena already has secured 88 corporators and will get some more to cross the 90 tally,” a source pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Sena tried to woo independent corporator Geeta Gawali. She held discussion with Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai and senior leader Subhash Desai. However, nothing concrete came out from the meeting. Sena sources said that the party was still hopeful to get her in the party to support the Sena mayor.