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Elections for 29 municipal corporations in the state, including Mumbai’s most important civic body BMC, will be held on January 15.
Speaking to reporters, Wadettiwar claimed that the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will contest the elections together, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will not be part of the alliance.
He said, “Ajit Pawar is acceptable to them when it comes to sharing power, but during elections his party is forced to fight separately only to divide the secular votes of the Congress. This is a well-planned political strategy and people are aware of it.”
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He accused the BJP of adopting double standards, saying that leaders like Hasan Mushrif are accommodated as cabinet ministers, but when elections come, the issue of Nawab Malik is raised to pull Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s party away from the alliance.
Mumbai BJP chief Amit Satam has opposed Malik’s appointment as NCP leader for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, saying the BJP and the Sena will have no compromise with the Ajit Pawar-led party in Mumbai.
Wadettiwar alleged that the BJP keeps Shiv Sena close to itself by pushing the Hindutva agenda, while forcing Ajit Pawar to contest the elections independently to ensure vote division. He said, “BJP cannot win elections without Hindu-Muslim polarization, which is why such controversies come to the fore during elections.”
On Monday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that BJP and Shiv Sena will contest the civic elections together in most places, while there will be a friendly contest between BJP and NCP in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Meanwhile, Wadettiwar also questioned the government’s claim of providing 27% reservation to Other Backward Classes in local body elections.
“Now that the municipal elections have been announced, what will happen if the matter goes to court again and OBC seats are cancelled? If OBC representation reduces, who will take the responsibility?” He asked allegingly that there is uncertainty on OBC reservation.
On the opposition’s strategy, Wadettiwar said that efforts will be made to avoid vote division so that BJP does not benefit.
He said the decision on alliance under the opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance would be taken by local leaders after assessing the local political equations.
The Congress leader also mentioned an incident in Brahmpuri in Chandrapur district, where a farmer, Shivdas Kude, had allegedly sold his kidney to repay the loan to moneylenders. Wadettiwar said he has written a letter to the police demanding an investigation and immediate action.