Within days after he announced that his party would go it alone in the forthcoming local body polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut met NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Monday and discussed the issues relating to the forthcoming local body elections.
In a development that reflected its flexibility to explore the possibility of having seat-sharing for the forthcoming local body polls, Raut called on Sharad Pawar at the latter’s residence “Silver Oak” in south Mumbai and their meeting lasted for 25 minutes.
There was official word from either Raut or Pawar as to what transpired at the meeting. However, informed sources in both the parties said that the two leaders deliberated on the issues relating to the local body polls, especially municipal corporation elections in major cities in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Sambhaji Nagar and Nashik.
Though the Shiv Sena (UBT) has taken a stand that it will contest the local body polls in the state on its own strength, it is unlikely that the Uddhav Thackeray-led party will do so, considering that such a move would affect its poll prospects in the municipal corporations in the major cities of the state.
Sharad Pawar has already gone on record saying that the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s decision to go it alone in the local body polls would have a negative impact on the prospects of all three MVA partners in the polls.
On its part, the Congress’ central leadership is expected to reach out to Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray after the Delhi Assembly polls, in which the Thackeray Sena is supporting the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP in its fight against the BJP and the Mallikarjun Kharge-led grand-old party.
The Shiv Sena (UBT)’s announcement that it would go it alone in the local body polls should be seen in the context of the fact that the Opposition MVA is in total disarray after its miserable performance in the recent Maharashtra Assembly polls – in which the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP won 20, 16, and 10 seats, respectively, as against the 230 seats out of the total 288 seats collectively bagged by the ruling MahaYuti partners – comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar).
Notwithstanding the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s posturing that it would contest the local body polls on its own strength, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party realises that its stakes are high in the municipal corporations, especially the ones in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Sambhaji Nagar and Nashik and it can ill-afford to take on the might of the ruling MahaYuti—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP (Ajit Pawar).
In the normal course, the elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other municipal corporations should have been held in February 2022.
The Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, was ruling the BMC for more than two decades. However, the political equation has changed after the split witness in the Shiv Sena in June last. There are now two Sena factions –one led by Uddhav and the other one by chief minister Eknath Shinde.
It may be recalled that the BMC polls held in 2017 had thrown up a hung house. The Shiv Sena had emerged as the single largest party with 84 seats in the 227-member BMC, followed by BJP- 82, Congress- 31, NCP- 9, MNS- 7 and others-- 14. During the first two and a half years in power, the Shiv Sena increased its strength to 94, by inducting among others seven corporators from the Raj Thackeray-led MNS.
In the forthcoming BMC polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will contest the polls in alliance with the NCP and Congress, while the Shinde-led Sena will team up with the BJP to contest the crucial polls. The Raj Thackeray-led MNS may have an understanding with the BJP in the BMC polls.
