Sena (UBT) may go it alone in BMC polls

MUMBAI: With Mumbai’s civic elections expected soon, Thursday’s editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ left little room for interpretation. Penned by Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, the editorial read, “In Delhi, AAP and Congress fighting elections separately.” Raut was referring to the AAP and Congress going it alone even though they were allies in the INDIA bloc. “What happened in Delhi may happen in Mumbai too,” he added.

Through its editorial, the Sena (UBT) has suggested that it would prefer to go solo in the elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country’s richest civic body. This comes after mounting pressure from former corporators and local organisational leaders across Mumbai, for the party to break ranks with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a coalition of the Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP).

Raut’s comments in ‘Saamana’ also referenced the excellent political rapport between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and former Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, and Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. During a recent Mumbai tour, Kejriwal made sure he paid Thackeray a visit, and Thackeray returned the gesture on a Delhi visit with his family. Kejriwal also addressed a rally in Mumbai during the Lok Sabha elections in May last year, and said he would stand with Thackeray in future elections.

This is the second time in week that the Sena (UBT), through ‘Saamana’, has expressed its support to the AAP in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections. The editorial also criticised the Congress, its political ally, for focusing on attacking the AAP rather than its political rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In Thursday’s editorial, titled ‘Haryana, Maharashtra; aata Delhi’ (‘Haryana, Maharashtra and now Delhi’), Raut wanted to alert Delhiites to the BJP’s alleged attempt to highjack the election through Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, who it claimed was acting as an “agent of the (Union) home ministry”, and working for the BJP and the Election Commission of India.

Pulling no punches, the editorial remarked, “Defeating the AAP in the Delhi assembly election is the only aim of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and other ministers, who are busy in the election campaign, while ignoring China’s intrusion into Indian territory, and murders in Maharashtra, Naxal attacks in Chhattisgarh.”

Fault lines between the Sena (UBT) and Congress have been widening since the MVA’s abysmal showing in the Maharashtra assembly elections in November last year. In light of this, the editorial remarked, “AAP and Congress fighting Delhi election separately. Congress instead of attacking BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi busy in targeting AAP.”

On Thursday, Raut went a step further and indicated that the Sena (UBT) was more inclined towards the AAP than the Congress, adding that the party would consider supporting the AAP in the Delhi polls. While addressing the media, he added, “AAP leaders are more in touch with us than Congress leaders are.”

Priti Sharma Menon, AAP Mumbai president, welcomed the Sena (UBT)’s support and said a decision on an alliance between the two parties would be taken by the leadership of both parties. “We welcome the Shiv Sena (UBT) support to AAP and our leader Arvind Kejriwal. AAP too during assembly elections supported Shiv Sena (UBT) and MVA in Maharashtra, and our leaders also campaigned for them.”

Menon added, “As far as BMC elections are concerned, they are different than state-level elections. AAP is fully prepared to contest the BMC elections on its own. But the decision to fight BMC elections solo or in alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) will be taken by our leadership and their leadership.”

NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh said, “If AAP, Congress and all other parties had come together, there would have been a very good victory in Delhi. Nothing is lost yet.”

On the Sena (UBT) hinting that it might contest Mumbai’s civic elections on its own, NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad said a decision would be taken by MVA leaders.

Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said that it is usual practice in any political alliance that partners contest Lok Sabha and assembly elections together but go solo in local body elections. “If Shiv Sena (UBT) wants to contest BMC elections separately, it is their choice. But they should take a final decision as early as possible.”

On the Delhi elections, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said that if the INDIA alliance had fought together, then the coalition’s victory would have been assured. “Now that all major parties are in the fray, it is an open election. The Congress has gained tremendous momentum and I am sure we (Congress) will emerge victorious.”