KDMC shift sends ripples to Mumbai: MNS crossover leaves Uddhav camp with ‘bruises’; BMC mayoral race tightens | Mumbai News
MUMBAI: Amid the race for mayoral posts across civic bodies in Maharashtra, a new political equation emerged in the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) on Wednesday, with five corporators of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) extending support to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, which is allied with the BJP.The MNS corporators’ move is being seen as a setback to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), as the two parties had contested the recent civic elections together. In KDMC, Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) won 11, two and one seats respectively.In the 122-member KDMC, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party with 53 seats, followed closely by ally BJP with 50 seats. With the backing of five MNS corporators, the Mahayuti alliance now has the support of 108 members in the House.Two days after MNS announced its support to the Shinde faction in KDMC, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut met MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday. Taken aback by the development, Raut discussed the political situation in Kalyan-Dombivli and conveyed party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s displeasure over the decision.The development has emerged as a major embarrassment for the UBT faction, which fought a bitter electoral battle against the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance with MNS as its ally. According to news agency PTI, local MNS leader and former MLA Raju Patil said the decision to support the Mahayuti was taken to ensure political stability.“MNS has decided to support the Mahayuti to maintain stability. The decision was not taken for any personal interest and was made after party chief Raj Thackeray gave permission,” PTI quoted Patil as saying.Patil added that a hung House would have led to chaos in the functioning of various civic committees and the municipal corporation.Speaking to reporters outside the Divisional Commissioner’s office in Navi Mumbai, Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan Shrikant Shinde said that 53 corporators of his party had submitted letters regarding the formation of their group in the KDMC.He said the Shiv Sena, BJP and MNS would jointly elect the mayor in KDMC as a Mahayuti candidate. In the neighbouring Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation, he added, the Shiv Sena, BJP, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), Secular Alliance of India (SAI) and independents would elect the mayor.When asked whether Shiv Sena would secure the mayor’s post in Mumbai, Shinde said anyone would be happy if that were to happen.The development has also added a new twist to the contest for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) mayor’s post. The Thackeray brothers—Uddhav and Raj—had contested the BMC polls together, but failed to outmaneuver the BJP–Shiv Sena (Shinde) alliance, which emerged victorious with 118 seats, breaching the majority mark of 114.Shiv Sena (UBT) secured 65 seats in Mumbai, while the MNS won six, making the post-poll realignments in other civic bodies, including KDMC, politically significant ahead of the mayoral race in the country’s richest civic corporation.(With agency inputs)
