Shiv Sena wishes for pro quo alliance with BJP for civic polls in Maharashtra

Amidst the Election Commission’s preparation for local body polls, Shiv Sena seeks a quid pro quo with BJP.
Sena demands BJP’s support in Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli civic polls in exchange for alliance in Mumbai.

Eknath Shinde’s faction to maintain dominance in its traditional strongholds, leveraging corporators to pressure BJP for favorable terms.

According to Shiv Sena leaders if the BJP needs an alliance with the Sena for the Mumbai municipal elections, it will have to enter into an agreement to a similar arrangement for the Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli civic polls.

The Shiv Sena leader went on to add that BJP would like to partner with them in the Mumbai civic polls, because if they contest on their own against the Uddhav Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena), with them and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also in the fray, the votes may get fragmented and could be a spoiler for them (BJP) if they want to come to power. They will have to take their support; what they would like in return is the BJP’s support for them in Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli.

The Shiv Sena leader further added that while the BJP wants to dominate in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena under Shinde wants to do the same in the Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli civic bodies.

Shiv Sena leaders told reporters that Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli were traditionally Sena bastions, and the BJP has been trying to make inroads into the region, especially Kalyan-Dombivli. “The BJP wants to be the big brother in Mumbai; similarly, we expect the same kind of arrangement in Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli. Their party is dominant there, and would like it to remain that way,”another Sena leader said.

When Shinde split the party, not many corporators from Mumbai joined him. However, with the Mumbai civic body’s term now over, Shinde has poached close to 45 corporators from the UBT camp to his side in a bid to pressurise the BJP. Essentially, Shinde is making it clear to the BJP that his party could field these corporators in the Mumbai civic elections and play spoilsport if the BJP does not agree to an alliance for the Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli civic polls.

News Edit KV Raman