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Mumbai, Feb 24: A day after the BMC election results came out, the Shiv Sena said on Friday that the mayor of Mumbai will be from the party. In an editorial in party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, the Sena alleged foul play by the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), saying they used deceitful means to destabilise Sena rule in BMC.
The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest party in 8 out of 10 municipal corporations across Maharashtra. They came a close second in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation that has been a Shiv Sena bastion for decades. While the BJP has won 82 seats, the Sena has won 84 seats. Though there is a marginal increase in the number of seats on Sena’s tally, the BJP’s performance has been exceptional considering they had only won 31 seats in the last elections.
The Saamna editorial said that the BJP used its state machinery to get the results.
“The Sena has been ruling the BMC from the last 25 years. They (the BJP) used deceitful means to destabilise our rule. This has never happened before when the Congress ruled the state,” PTI translated the Saamna article.
“The BJP used all that it had for the BMC polls. But, despite the BJP getting 82 seats, the Mayor will be from Shiv Sena only,” the editorial added. (Also read: BMC Elections Result 2017: As Shiv Sena leads in Mumbai, here are some key candidates for mayor)
The Sena further said they would walk the path of fire.
“It is always easier for the party in power to win local body polls. Power helped the Congress and is now helping the BJP. We have decided to walk on the path of fire. We will not worry about the consequences,” it said.
“Our fight (with the BJP) will continue. The war that had started was not only for power but for dharma, ideals and the integrity of Maharashtra,” the Sena said.
The Shiv Sena and the BJP were allies in the BMC and were the rulers of the country’s richest municipal corporation. The Shiv Sena played the big brother in the alliance as they were the single largest party in 2012 with 75 seats. They were the unchallenged kings of the BMC. However, the dynamics changed after the BJP won the majority in 2014 general elections and later also assumed power in Maharashtra. The Sena found it difficult to handle the newly-found big brother status of the BJP. The Sena attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the Centre and in the state through ‘Saamna’ editorials several times in the intervening years. However, despite all this, the two parties remained in the alliance in the state even when they contested the municipal polls against each other. (Also read: The luckiest and richest candidates make it to BMC)
In a recent interview with India Today before the polling, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray talked figuratively about the future of the alliance in the state. He said the party’s unhappiness was limited to the policies of the state and the Centre governments that are led by the BJP.
“Our unhappiness is limited to the government’s policies. It’s not a crime for a mahout to use a goad to control the elephant. Can we afford to have the mahout get off, let the elephant run amok? But then if the elephant is out of control, the mahout has to get off it,” he said in the interview.
He also gave a warning of sorts to the BJP.
“The BJP has assured waiver of farm loans in Uttar Pradesh but it neglects our demand for a similar waiver in Maharashtra. Why can’t a financially sound state like Maharashtra waive farmers’ loans? The Centre collected a tax of Rs 2 lakh crore from Mumbai this year. We are demanding that the local municipal corporation must get a 25 per cent share of this. The alliance cannot move ahead till they (BJP) respond,” he added.
Now that the Shiv Sena and the BJP have come on the parity regarding the number of seats in the BMC, there may be an increase in tension at the state level as both the parties are vying for the coveted mayor seat. (Also read: BJP claims BMC results prove boon for them)
Have a look at the results:
Shiv Sena 84 seats
BJP 82 seats
Congress 31 seats
NCP 9 seats
MNS 7 seats
Others 14 seats
Now to assume power in the corporation, a party needs 114 seats. Neither the BJP nor the Shiv Sena has the numbers to form the government in the corporation. Hence, the mayoral post is still a distant dream for both the parties. As it turns out, it is a hung assembly. (Also read: BMC Election Results 2017: Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM wins 2 seat; Samajwadi Party’s Raees Shaikh wins Nagpada)
While the Shiv Sena needs 30 seats to get a simple majority, the BJP is short of 32 seats. The BJP has warmed up to NCP’s Sharad Pawar, but his party has won only 9 seats. The BJP would not take the support of the Congress. If the NCP, the MNS and all the others support the BJP, they may assume power. But it is unlikely to happen. For Shiv Sena, if they go against their ideological stance and enter into an uncomfortable alliance with the Congress (also a difficult possibility), they may retain their position in the BMC. However, these are far-fetched speculations.
The most viable option available with the Shiv Sena is to re-enter into the alliance with the BJP and force them to concede the mayoral position. The party may use their support to the state government as their bargaining power to get mayor post. This seems to be a strong possibility as both Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis have not traded direct barbs against each other during campaigning, leaving the room for reconciliation. Fadnavis in a recent interview had said that despite political difference, he shared a healthy relationship with the Sena boss.
However, if they re-enter the alliance with the BJP, they will not wield the same influence that they had been enjoying for decades in the municipal body. Whether or not the Shiv Sena enters the alliance, its relationship with the BJP is expected to be frosty as the BJP’s superb performance is a humiliation to the party that considers itself the undisputed champion of Marathi pride in Mumbai.
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