Reunion of once-estranged cousins Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, ahead of the BMC polls, has ignited widespread criticism from the opposition. Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday alleged that the Thackeray cousins have come together only for power, and lack any kind of program for Mumbai’s development.
Reacting to Raj Thackeray’s remarks, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said, “Those who cannot even take care of their own children, how will they manage Mumbai or Maharashtra?”
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray announced the alliance of their parties ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, scheduled to be held on 15 January.
Eknath Shinde takes a dig at Thackeray reunion
Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Eknath Shinde alleged that Raj and Uddhav Thackeray’s only goal is to assume power.
“They have no development agenda, their goal is only to get power. These people drove Marathi-speakers out of Mumbai. The assembly polls and recent local elections have shown which is the fake and which is the real Shiv Sena,” said Shinde who rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership and split the party in June 2022.
“Those who deviated from (late Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology have been taught a lesson in the assembly elections last year and the recent municipal council and nagar panchayat polls,” he said.
BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a sweeping win in the local body polls – winning in 207 posts. The Maharashtra State Election Commission held elections for 288 urban local bodies—246 Municipal Councils and 42 Nagar Panchayats—across all six administrative divisions in a two-phase poll on December 2 and December 20.
How Devendra Fadnavis reacted?
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis alleged that the cousins are creating a hype as if Russia and Ukraine, who have been locked in conflict for nearly four years, ‘have finally come along.’ He claimed that the two parties are facing an existential crisis, and have time and again changed their roles and earned people’s distrust, who have accepted the policy of appeasement and lost their vote bank, have come together to save their existence.
BMC polls
Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Polling will be held on 15 January, with counting set to take place on 16 January.
Although there was no official announcement about seat sharing – Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) will reportedly contest 150 seats, while the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will field candidates in the remaining 77 seats. The BMC has 227 seats.
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