Mumbai: In the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) impressive show in the local body elections in the state, the equations in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are likely to change. Buoyed by its success, the BJP is likely to become more assertive and may force the Shiv Sena to dance to its tune and forge an alliance in the forthcoming BMC polls.
In the elections to 147 municipal councils and 17 nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, the BJP has clearly emerged as the top-most party in the state by winning 52 chairpersons’ posts.
Of the results to 3,727 seats declared so far, the BJP has won 893 seats, the Shiv Sena won 529, NCP 615 and Congress 727.
After becoming the number one party in the city during the state assembly polls two years ago, BJP leaders have made no bones about their plan to win the elections for the BMC, the richest municipal corporation in the country, on their own. They had secured the largest number of seats (15) in the assembly polls, relegating the Shiv Sena (14) to the second spot in Mumbai. Following this, civic leaders from the BJP have openly vowed that the next mayor of Mumbai will be from the BJP.
Senior BJP corporator Dilip Patel said, “The result shows that we have become stronger in the state. In the assembly polls, too, we had secured more seats than the Sena in Mumbai. So, obviously, we enjoy an upper hand in both the state and the city.”
He added, “We will obviously demand our pound of flesh in the BMC polls. When we were the junior partner in the alliance, we were accepting all their demands to keep the coalition going. Now it’s their turn to understand the ground reality and act accordingly.”
However, senior Shiv Sena corporator and civic standing committee chairman Shailesh Phanse dismissed the idea of his party getting bulldozed by the BJP’s strong-arm tactics. “You cannot ignore the fact that the Sena has also become stronger after the local body elections. We have also won more seats than the last time.”
Mr Phanse added: “As far as an alliance is concerned, it is for the leadership of both parties to decide. But we will not bow down before anyone. The Shiv Sena will emerge as the number one party in the BMC polls.”
Political analyst Abhay Deshpande said, “The BJP has clearly understood that the party cannot grow in the state without breaking the alliance with the Sena. They did that successfully in the assembly and KDMC polls. In the BMC polls, too, they will surely demand half the seats to be contested, which the Sena is unlikely to agree to. So they will be free to blame the Sena for breaking the alliance and contest
independently.”
