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RPI chief Ramdas Athavale demands 40 seats in civic body polls

. The RPI, which is backed by many Dalits, was earlier allied with the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party.

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Ramdas Athavale, president, Republican Party of India, has asked for 40 of the 227 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections which are due in February.  The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party combine governs the BMC, and the RPI has joined the alliance. The RPI, which is backed by many Dalits, was earlier allied with the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party.

Athavale said that talks were on with both the Sena and the BJP over the number of seats to be given to the RPI. He added that it was the support of the Dalit voters that helped the BJP candidate Bhimrao Tapkir win the Khadakwasla seat against the NCP candidate Harshada Wanjale. He said such support of Dalits not just in Mumbai but in all the local elections would benefit the Sena-BJP-RPI alliance right up to the next assembly elections in 2014.

He also played down remarks by Sena chief Bal Thackeray that Dadar station be renamed Chaityabhoomi  (after the Ambedkar memorial), saying this demand was made by the NCP and Congress to divide the Sena-BJP-RPI alliance.

“I don’t understand this business about making a demand. The Congress-NCP  rule in Maharashtra and the Congress-led UPA governs India. They renamed the Bandra-Worli Sea Link after Rajiv Gandhi overnight, so why can’t they similarly legislate right away about Dadar? Why take so much time?” he asked.

He said Thackeray spoke out against renaming Dadar only because he needed to pacify some Dadar residents who had complained to him. He also pointed out that the RPI had never raised the demand for renaming Dadar station after Chaityabhoomi because that would be confused with the memorial.

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