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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Race for lone MVA seat intensifies

BJP finalises strategy with four seats Mumbai: The upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections have exposed clear fault lines within the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. Based on its current numerical strength in the state assembly, the opposition alliance is likely to secure only one seat. This bleak reality has triggered a fierce tussle between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress over the single nomination. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is staking a firm claim on the seat as one of the...

Race for lone MVA seat intensifies

BJP finalises strategy with four seats Mumbai: The upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections have exposed clear fault lines within the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. Based on its current numerical strength in the state assembly, the opposition alliance is likely to secure only one seat. This bleak reality has triggered a fierce tussle between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress over the single nomination. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is staking a firm claim on the seat as one of the members who are scheduled to retire on May 13 includes party chief Uddhav Thackeray. The party also argues that it possesses the highest number of legislators within the alliance and hence the seat is rightfully theirs. However, the Congress is aggressively pushing its own aspirants. Congress leaders are heavily citing their recent political sacrifices. They argue that the party compromised during the recent Rajya Sabha elections and deserves immediate compensation. This internal rivalry grew more complicated following a crucial meeting on Thursday. State Congress President Harshawardhan Sapkal, who called on Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the political math, later informed the media that the Congress would fully support Thackeray if he chose to contest the election himself. However, he attached a significant rider to this offer. Sapkal declared that if Thackeray opts out of the race, the coveted seat must be surrendered to the Congress. This conditional support has left the MVA leadership in a difficult position. Meanwhile, NCP (SP) too has mounted pressure for Uddhav Thackeray’s candidature at the legislative Council election. “Uddhavji is a senior and experienced leader in the state. We are all confident that his experience will consistently benefit both the state and the legislative House. It is our humble request that Uddhavji considers this proposal positively,” she said in her post on micro blogging site X while advocating party’s stance. Interestingly, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar too advocated Uddhav Thackeray’s candidature. “If former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray decides to contest for this seat, he will be welcomed. However, if he is not going to contest, there will have to be a discussion regarding who the MVA candidate will be,” Wadettiwar wrote on X. Probable Candidates While the opposition struggles over a single seat, the ruling Mahayuti alliance is moving forward confidently. The BJP plans to contest four of the nine biennial seats. They will also field a candidate for a separate bypoll. This bypoll was necessitated after Congress leader Pradnya Satav resigned and joined the BJP. The state BJP core committee, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, met on Wednesday night to finalise this strategy. The committee discussed probable candidates and will soon send a shortlist to the central leadership for approval. Nine members of the Legislative Council are scheduled to retire on May 13. Prominent figures among the retiring legislators include Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe. Members of the Legislative Assembly form the electoral college for these polls. Given the current assembly arithmetic, the ruling alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP is comfortably positioned. They are expected to sweep up to nine of the ten total seats available across the biennial and bypoll elections. Quota of 29 Winning a regular biennial seat will require a strict quota of 29 votes. The single bypoll seat demands a much higher threshold of 144 votes. This bypoll quota could potentially rise to 145 if newly elected MLAs from the April 23 Baramati and Rahuri assembly bypolls become eligible to vote. The Election Commission of India has set a tight schedule for the process. The official notification will be issued on April 23. Candidates must file their nominations by April 30. Scrutiny of the applications will take place on May 2. The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is May 4. Polling is scheduled for May 12. Votes will be counted on the same day at 5 pm, ensuring the entire process concludes just before the May 13 retirements. Tenure of nine MLAs in the legislative council ending. They are Uddhav Thackeray - Shiv Sena (UBT) Neelam Gorhe - Shiv Sena Shashikant Shinde - NCP (SP) Amol Mitkari - NCP Gopichand Padalkar - BJP Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil - BJP Rajesh Rathod - Congress Pravin Datke - BJP Ramesh Karad - BJP Pradnya Satav - Congress (Resigned)

BMC auctioning three land parcels to raise funds, says Aaditya

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Aaditya

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday alleged Mumbai’s civic body had decided to auction three land parcels to raise funds and make up for the “loot” of the metropolis by the Eknath Shinde government.


The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which is being run by an administrator now, has decided to auction the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Mandi (Market), the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Malabar Hill Receiving Station and the Worli Asphalt Plant, Thackeray pointed out.


“The sale of Mumbai is being done by the Eknath Shinde regime to benefit its favourite builders and contractors,” he alleged.


A criminal investigation will be conducted into the matter after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government comes to power, Thackeray added.


“So on one end, they looted the BMC and Mumbai and gave the money to their favourite contractors. Now, by auctioning these iconic and important land parcels, the BMC will be left without both funds and plots,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former state minister claimed.


When Shiv Sena started controlling the BMC in 1997, its finances were in deficit but by 2022 his party turned around the fiscal health of the civic body, Thackeray said.


Alleging that the Shinde government wants to drive Kolis and fisherfolk out of Mumbai, he said, “We will oppose this. It has to remain and be made into a fish market, and (should be) in the ownership of the BMC.”


Aaditya puppet for urban naxals: Shelar

Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar has called Uddhav Thackeray’s son and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray as a puppet for urban naxals after former’s comments on the Dharavi Redevelopment project and has also challenged him for a debate.

Ashish Shelar said that the project is a necessity and a priority project, adding that Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Congressleader Varsha Gaikwad are peddling lies.

Aaditya Thackeray seems to have become the spokesperson of urban Naxals. Without studying the subject (Dharavi) in detail, Aaditya Thackeray is speaking like an ignorant. I have seen that these people have been trying to set a narrative regarding Dharavi and the re-development work,” Ashish Shelar said.

He challenged Aaditya Thackeray and Varsha Gaikwad in a debate on the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

“Uddhav ji and the people of his party – Aaditya Thackeray and Varsha Gaikwad have started this false narrative regarding Dharavi. I openly challenge Aaditya for a debate. I want to ask him that 70 per cent of the homes in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project will go to Marathi people, Muslims and Dalits. It is their rightful home, so why are they putting roadblocks by creating a false narrative?”

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