Maharashtra city polls in Feb, spotlight on BJP-Sena parleys

Stage is set for polls to 10 municipal corporations, 26 zilla parishads and 296 panchayat samitis

Voting for the 10 municipal corporations, including the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) controlled BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will take place on February 21. Besides the BMC, polling for nine other corporations includes Thane, Ulhasnagar, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nagpur. The nomination will begin on January 27, while the last date for filing nominations is February 3. The last date for campaigning is February 19. Polling is on February 21 and counting is on February 23.

Further, the polling for the 26 zilla parishads, which are currently dominated by the Opposition Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), will be held in two phases on February 16 (for 15 zilla parishads) and on February 21 (for 11 zilla parishads). The counting for these bodies is also slated for February 23. This accounts for more than 80 per cent of the total voters in the state. Maharashtra Election Commissioner J S Saharia, on Wednesday, announced the poll schedule and the application of the model code of conduct.

The ruling BJP and Shiv Sena will make every attempt to further consolidate their position, while the Congress and the NCP will attempt to regain their past glory. Incidentally, the BJP and Shiv Sena, who until recently were engaged in a verbal duel on going solo in the election to the 227-member BMC with an annual budget of Rs 37,000 crore, on Wednesday initiated seat-sharing talks. Both the saffron parties have been ruling the BMC for the past 25 years. However, the Congress and the NCP are still divided over the poll alliance.

A section of the BJP had stepped up attack against Shiv Sena for alleged mafia raj in the BMC, while Sena had countered it, pointing out the presence of ministers with graft charges in the state government.

Pressure is also mounting on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to fight the ensuing elections separately, leaving the alliance option at the local level. Besides, the Shiv Sena is insisting that the alliance has to be at the state level. Fadnavis and the BJP have already declared that the party will reach out to the voters in Mumbai, outlining a slew of initiatives to further spur growth, while the Sena has declared it will not compromise on Hindutva but stay fully committed to the development of the metropolis.

These elections are being dubbed as the second part of a mini-Assembly poll after polling for 212 municipal councils and Nagar panchayats recently got over in four phases. 

Notwithstanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move, the ruling BJP emerged on top by winning 1,207 seats, Shiv Sena 616 seats, Congress 919 and NCP 788. Fadnavis personally addressed more than 40 poll rallies and held 50 closed-door meetings, while Sena president Uddhav Thackeray did not address a single meeting but instead left the campaigning to the local leaders. 

Ironically, the Congress and the NCP failed to strike a poll deal and cashed in on the discontent among voters due to note ban in the municipal council and Nagar panchayat polls. The NCP, which was on top with 1,146 seats during 2011 elections, has slipped to the fourth position. However, the Congress, which was in the second position with 1,065 seats in the 2011 elections, managed to retain its ranking despite the lack of aggressive poll campaigning.

Moreover, the BJP, in particular, will make every attempt to continue its victory march in the 26 zilla parishads. The BJP’s ruling partner Shiv Sena will work to make inroads, especially in the Congress and the NCP strongholds. The BJP, in particular, will reach out to the voters on the development plank.

It will be an acid test for the Congress and the NCP to retain their supremacy in the rural parts of Maharashtra. Both plan to take on the BJP and the Shiv Sena on issues of rising farmers’ suicides, less price to agricultural produce, and the deteriorating law and order situation.