Though chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said Shiv Sena and BJP would contest the next Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls jointly, many BJP corporators feel the party would benefit more if it goes it alone in the election scheduled to be held in 2017.
When did the CM talk of sharing seats?
On Thursday, Fadnavis had declared that the two parties, which had fallen out over seat sharing before the November assembly polls and joined hands later, would come together for the civic elections. A committee comprising representatives of the two parties would be constituted to discuss seat sharing for the election, he had said.
Why do BJP leaders want to go it alone?
BJP leaders at the BMC-level feel they would get the requisite number of seats or more on their own, enabling them to have their own mayor in the richest ci8vic body in India.
As reported in dna earlier, BJP, after having tasted thumbing success in the Lok Sabha and assembly polls, had been planning to go it alone in the civic elections. In the assembly polls, the party, fighting alone, won 15 of the 36 seats in Mumbai. Shiv Sena bagged only 14.
"We are the numero uno in the city now. Given the response we got from all sections of the voters, we feel going it alone would see us through," a BJP leader said.
There's every possibility of friction...
According to him, as the two parties fared almost neck and neck in the assembly polls, there was every possibility of friction in sharing seats for the civic elections. "Sena has always contested more seats in Mumbai and fancies the city to be its stronghold. So, it's unlikely to agree to a 50:50 seat sharing formula. Now we feel we can win more seats," he said.
CM has committed himself, so...
BJP group leader in BMC, Manoj Kotak, however, said the party unit would follow orders from the top. "Since the CM has committed himself, we will follow his order. It's as simple as that," Kotak said.
BJP fielded candidates in 63 wards in 2012
In the 2012 civic polls, Sena, the largest party in BMC at present with 75 corporators, had contested in 135 seats. BJP had fielded candidates in 63 of the 227 electoral wards. Congress, the main opposition party in BMC now, contested in 169 wards. NCP had tried its luck in 57 wards.
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