Earlier in the day, Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde told the media that MNS has extended support to Shinde’s Sena.
“…Five MNS corporators have extended their support to us. We fought with the BJP in an alliance and will establish power in an alliance. The MNS has only given its backing,” Shinde said. “Raju Patil (of MNS) is a friend. We are taking their backing for stability and for the development of Kalyan and Dombivali.”
This decision was taken not to keep the BJP out of power, he said, adding that a decision regarding mayor, deputy mayor, and other posts would be taken by Eknath Shinde and Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan.
Patil, meanwhile, said the decision to back Shinde was only for stability. “We had fought with the Sena (UBT), but corporators started going missing. We did not take this decision for any selfish reason. We have spoken with Raj saheb (read, Raj Thackeray). We couldn’t have done justice to the people with five corporators. Now in power, we can work for the development of the people,” the MNS leader said.
On Wednesday, the Shiv Sena registered its group at Konkan Bhavan in Navi Mumbai and submitted a claim before the Konkan divisional commissioner, asserting its position as the single largest party in the civic body.
Thane and KDMC remain the key pillars of strength for the Shinde-led Sena. In the 122-member KDMC, a party has to have 62 corporators to get the mayor post. With support from the MNS, Shinde has 58 corporators backing them.
According to Sena insiders, a few corporators from the Uddhav Thackeray faction were not reachable and might be considering extending support to the Mahayuti and Shinde in particular. Two of these corporators were earlier with the MNS.
“Those who were not present today while registering the group at Konkan Bhawan, we will initiate action against them,” Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut told the media. “It doesn’t matter if they are from the MNS or any other party. They fought on our symbol and if they won’t follow the party whip, action will follow.”
The Uddhav faction has served notices to those corporators who remained absent when party MLA Varun Sardesai had convened a meeting of the corporators to register their group.
The BJP has welcomed the move, saying power would be shared with the Mahayuti partners.
BJP legislator Pravin Darekar said that the BJP was a large party and that it doesn’t get bothered by local equations.
“Our party’s leader is Deva bhau (read, Devendra Fadnavis) and if he plays his move, then everyone is aware of what happens,” Darekar said. “If the MNS is supporting the Mahayuti for development, we welcome it. The BJP and the Shiv Sena have a majority of their own. But if the Sena wants to expand its own party, then we have no objection to it.”
Also Read: ‘Resort politics’ reloaded: Shinde likely to drive hard bargain to share power with BJP post civic polls
Threat to Thackeray alliance?
Before the civic elections in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray asserted repeatedly that he and Raj joined hands to stay together. Now, the KDMC development is a huge setback to the Sena (UBT).
Two of the corporators, the party insiders said, that went with the MNS were originally from Raj’s party and had fought on the Shiv Sena (UBT) symbol. Two others had come from the Shinde faction after being denied tickets.
“The party has sent them notices. What MNS does is not our concern. Maybe they even want to keep the BJP out of power. But the alliance and any decision regarding it was taken at top leadership level from both parties. So even now, it will be decided by top leadership,” a Sena (UBT) leader told ThePrint.
Kishori Pednekar, a Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator from Mumbai, asserted that such local-level equations should not be given much importance, and that top leadership will look into it.
Nevertheless, the KDMC episode raised a question regarding the alliance in Mumbai.
MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said that the decision was taken by party leaders at the local level and that he isn’t aware if this was consulted to Raj Thackeray
“I don’t think MNS Mumbai corporators will go anywhere. Our alliance will stay strong. In the KDMC, there might have been some cracks between the BJP and Eknath Shinde, and hence he must have taken this decision to stake power on his own strength. That is why such an arrangement was worked out,” he told ThePrint.
“Neither Uddhav nor Raj Thackeray are new to politics. In politics, no one is the enemy. So, nobody should feel bad about this arrangement.”
Raj himself has switched sides in the past. In 2014, he supported Narendra Modi as the prime minister. Five years on, he opposed Modi and supported the Congress and the undivided NCP.
Post 2019, he again turned to the BJP, a position that he maintained in the 2024 general elections. Raj then went solo in the last year’s Maharashtra assembly elections, only to tie-up with his cousin Uddhav for the local body elections.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: In a Maharashtra local election, a BJP-Congress tie-up, then a break-up, and now a situationship
