CM Fadnavis snubs Raut, says I only talk to Uddhav'

Mumbai: In strong rebuttal to senior Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s remark that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won in recent elections to 164 municipal councils and nagar panchayats because of state machinery, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he only speaks to Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and not to Sanjay Raut. On the other hand, BJP state president Raosaheb Danve said that his party was ready to join hands with the Sena for upcoming polls.

Replying to queries over Sena president Uddhav Thackeray congratulating him for BJP’s victory, chief minister said that when he had stated that the BJP shall become the number one party after the assembly polls, a section of the media claimed both the alliance partners were at loggerheads. He added that by now both the alliance partners were used to this talk.

When asked as to why the BJP did not perform well in the municipal council polls in Marathwada region, Mr Fadnavis said, “The BJP lost Parli civic body but won in three other civic bodies. Denying that the defeat in Parli was a huge setback, he added that henceforth the party would pay more attention to the region.”

He further said that in the past the BJP had never contested these many civic bodies in the region.

Mr Fadnavis pointed out that in 2011 elections to these same 164 civic bodies, the BJP did not win a single seat in 80 of these civic bodies and in 26 of these civic bodies the BJP had barely won one or two seats.

Replying to queries on alliance with the Sena for the ensuing civic polls next year, state BJP president Raosaheb Danve said, “Even in the just concluded first round of civic elections, the BJP was in favour of an alliance. However, the Sena dawdled over agreeing to the alliance.

Mr Danve pointed out that the Sena had made it clear that the alliance was restricted to the 164 municipal council polls only.