Ashish Shelar to get second term as Mumbai BJP chief

In run up to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls due next year, the BJP has decided to retain its Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar, in an apparent bid to keep its recalcitrant ally Shiv Sena on leash.

"Every party has the right to strengthen and widen its base. BJP too wants power in BMC. At such a time, the party will need an aggressive leader and Shelar fulfils that criteria. Thus, he would be given a second opportunity to bring the BJP to power in the civic body with a majority," BJP spokesperson Atul Shah told reporters in Mumbai on Monday.

BJP will hold a formal meeting in Central Mumbai on Tuesday to elect the party president of the island city. According to sources, Shelar, keen to become a minister in state cabinet, was not much interested to work on the same post.

However, addressing media last week, Shelar clarified that he would abide by the party decision, whatever it be.

Miffed with the Sena's repeated criticism of the BJP over a host of issues, Shelar had recently openly targeted Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and that party's mouthpiece 'Saamana'. He had threatened that copies of 'Saamana' could be burnt by BJP cadres if Sena continues mocking BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Meanwhile, state unit BJP president Raosaheb Danve said the decision of an alliance with Sena for BMC polls would be taken at an appropriate time. The richest civic corporation having 227 corporators has been ruled by Shiv Sena-BJP combine.