Mumbai: Will Aaditya Thackeray have a major role in BMC’s functioning? Close aides of Sena scion have been appointed in the Brihanmumbai municipal corporation (BMC) committees.
While two close aides of Mr Thackeray, Samadhan Sarvankar and Amey Ghole, are corporators, two new members who form the core committee of Yuva Sena — Rahul Kanal, a former Congress member, and Sainath Durge — were accommodated in the BMC’s education committee. Insiders hint that many more shall be accommodated soon.
Even before the BMC elections set in, there has been a tussle within the Shiv Sena for accommodating the members of Yuva Sena and close aides of Aaditya Thackeray.
Two aides of Mr Thackeray, Mr Ghole and Mr Sarvankar were given tickets for the corporation, and they won too from Wadala and Dadar. However, via the nominated corporator, Mr Thackeray wanted to include few more, but then, senior party leaders who lost the elections are being accommodated via this route thus leaving the committee member posts.
“Aaditya Thackeray wanted few nominated corporators seats to be given to his aides, but then the seats are being used for accommodating seniors who lost the elections. Hence, committee members’ posts are being distributed amongst Aaditya’s loyalist. This will enable him to have a major role to play in what is happening in BMC,” said a senior leader.
It was the young Thackeray scion, who had coined Sena’s ‘Did You Know’ tagline for the BMC election campaign. Mr Kanal, who has been given a seat in the education committee, said, “I wasn’t expecting anything but when asked I decided to work in the education committee, as I have been working in this field.”
Mr Kanal, was with the Congress till the assembly elections. He joined the Yuva Sena, after the debacle of Congress in the assembly polls.
He was a close aide of Congress leader Baba Siddiqui, but off late became close to Thackeray and is spotted mostly with him. There are many more aspirants in the party, who are vying for the post in BMC and the Sena is in dilemma who should be given preference.
