Maharashtra Civic Elections 2017: 10 Municipal Corporations including BMC go to polls today; outcome to decide fate of Shiv Sena-BJP alliance

There are 1268 seats across ten municipal corporations for which 9,208 candidates are in fray.

Published: February 21, 2017 12:20 AM IST

By Sohit Mishra

Maharashtra Civic Elections 2017: 10 Municipal Corporations including BMC go to polls today; outcome to decide fate of Shiv Sena-BJP alliance

Mumbai, Feb 21: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the richest municipal corporation in the country along with 9 other corporations will go to poll today. The 10 Municipal Corporations includes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Thane Municipal Corporation, Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Solapur Municipal Corporation, Nashik Municipal Corporation, Akola Municipal Corporation, Amravati Municipal Corporation and Nagpur Municipal Corporation.

BJP, Shiv SenaNationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Samajwadi Party and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) are key parties contesting the Maharashtra civic elections. Apart from Thane Municipal Corporation where Congress and NCP have entered into a pre-poll alliance, the state will witness all the major political parties to contest the civic elections solo.

After the end of the alliance between Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a war of words broke out between both the parties. While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleged Shiv Sena to be responsible for corruption in BMC and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray blamed Devendra Fadnavis for under developing Nagpur Corporation. Meanwhile, Congress, NCP, MNS and AIMIM also organised massive campaigning throughout the state to gain the public support.

Sena responsible for BMC corruption- Fadnavis

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis throughout the election campaigns attacked Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray for corruption in BMC. After the end of 25 year old alliance between the saffron wing parties, Fadnavis blamed Uddhav Thackeray to be responsible for the underdevelopment of the city. The Chief Minister in his rallies has repeatedly stated that if voted to power, his government will not make any discrimination between a Maharashtrian and people belonging to other states. Fadnavis said that all people will get equal status and rights under his governance. The BJP is expecting to gain huge support in the civic elections and apart from Marathi voters, the party is also targeting the Gujarati and north Indian people who are largely present in the state.

Uddhav attacks on Modi

Responding to all the allegations of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in most of the rallies attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Responding to the allegation of corruption, Thackeray stated that if his party has done scam in nullah cleaning in Mumbai and all the money is in his pockets, then the Ganga clean-up is a scam too with all money being misused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the last day of campaigning, Thackeray also attacked Devendra Fadnavis’s rally in Pune which witnessed empty seats. Attacking Chief Minister’s promise of transparency in the government, Sena chief said,”In BJP’s rally of Pune, there was so much transparency that you couldn’t see people on the chairs.” Sena has also said that it will re-consider about its support to BJP in the state after the civic elections.

BJP using money power in politics- Sharad Pawar

Attacking BJP to misuse money power in the state, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had been stating that after demonetisation, only BJP has money left with them and the party is using “immensed money power” in the civic elections. Pawar said that all the parties are facing immense problems after demonetisation and he claimed that if Shiv Sena withdraws its support from BJP, his party won’t support the Fadnavis government and he is ready for a mid-term polls. Pawar said that “It’s true that apart from BJP, all parties are affected from demonetisation and if there is an election in the state it will be impossible for other political parties to do the election campaigns. Only BJP has the money for campaigning. However, even if there is any problem of money and other means, all parties must contest the election if it happens to remove BJP from power.”

War between BJP-Sena is a friendly match – Congress

Attacking both BJP and Shiv Sena, Congress stated that the BJP-Sena war is nothing more than a friendly war and both the parties will be back together once the election gets completed. ” It is a friendly match between the extortionists and the goons,” Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said claiming Sena to be a party of extortionists and BJP a party of goons. The party has also attacked Devendra Fadnavis’s transparency campaigning stating that the transparency plank is “nothing but jumlebaazi.” Congress has promised to commission an inquiry against scams in the municipalities if the party is voted back to power.

Sena needs to show some self respect- MNS

After failing in the forming an alliance with Shiv Sena for corporation elections, MNS chief Raj Thackeray asked Sena to show some self respect after being “humiliated” by BJP time and time again. Thackeray also claimed that the entire fight between Sena and BJP is to distract the attention of the voters from real issues. Taking responsibility for all the developments being made in Nashik Municipal Corporation, MNS has promised to “develop” all the corporations like Nasik if voted to power.

Reservation only solution for upliftment of Muslims-AIMIM

AIMIM Vice President and party floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in his campaigns ahead of the Maharashtra Civic polls has been demanding reservation for Muslims in the state and said that employment is the only way to improve the quality of life of Muslims in the state. Owaisi further stated that Muslims of Andhra Pradesh have 4 percent reservation which is the main reason for the improved quality of life in the state. Attacking Shiv Sena, Owaisi stated that the party is going through the worst period and Sena had to ally with Congress for Raigad elections. Owaisi urged Muslims to be united and stated that if Muslims of Maharashtra get united, the government will be forced to work for the Muslim community of the state. y, Akbaruddin Owaisi blamed Congress-NCP government for the poor condition of Muslims in Maharashtra. Owaisi stated that the Congress-NCP government has been using Muslim population of the state just as a vote bank and also blamed them for the beef ban in the state. The party floor leader stated that ” The Congress and NCP just to gain Muslim votes are now opposing the beef ban move of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But the alliance government of Congress-NCP had passed the bill in the assembly 12 years ago and they are now just blaming BJP for it.”

There are 1268 seats across ten municipal corporations for which 9,208 candidates are in fray. The results of all ten Municipal corporations will be declared on February 23.

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