 "Uddhav Thackeray")
The Shiv Sena has emerged the single-largest party with 52 seats, nine short of the simple majority of 61, in Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), while in the 81-member Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC), BJP-Tararani Front failed to cross the halfway mark.
The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are likely to form an alliance to rule KMC. The Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had fought KDMC and KMC polls separately and had levelled charges against each other during the campaign. The BJP, which contested the polls under the leadership of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, improved its tally in KDMC to 42 seats from nine in 2010. However, the party failed to ride on the development card played by Fadnavis.
Notwithstanding pre-poll alliance, the Congress and NCP were routed as they could win mere six seats in KDMC. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, headed by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s estranged brother Raj Thackeray, failed to show his magic as his tally came down to eight compared with 27 in the last poll.
Although the campaign for KDMC was bitter, exposing a high level of toxicity in the BJP-Sena relationship, sources from the ruling partners dropped sufficient hints that the BJP could support the Sena to retain power in the civic body.
Besides, Uddhav has an option to take the support of Raj or look at independents to keep the BJP away in KDMC. Uddhav has convened a meeting of party legislators and senior leaders on November 3 in Mumbai to decide the future course of action. The BJP announced the party will stake claim to the Mayoral post. BJP’s member of Parliament Kapil Patil said the party high command would take a decision on whether or not to ally with the Shiv Sena to assume power in KDMC.
The relations between the Sena and the BJP have been shaky of late. While Fadnavis termed Shiv Sena as a natak company (drama group), Uddhav warned to pull out of the state government. The BJP and the Sena broke their alliance after verbal duel over the Shiv Sena's stance against Pakistani artists performing in Mumbai. Further, Shiv Sena insiders admit it was party's decision to test the ground for solo fight in the election to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) slated for 2017.
BMC is Shiv Sena's lifeline and the party has time and again signalled it’s not prepared to play second fiddle to the BJP.
In the election to the 81-member KMC, the BJP and the Tararani Front together won 32 seats, nine short of simple majority, while Shiv Sena, which went solo, bagged only four seats. However, the Congress bagged 27 seats on its own, while the NCP got 15. Both the parties have hinted they will join hands to keep the BJP and the Sena at bay.
