BJP eyes to go solo in Thane, Navi Mumbai to clinch mayoral posts; ally Sena draws similar plans

Mumbai, Oct 16 (PTI) The BJP, which shares power with Shiv Sena and NCP in Maharashtra, has hinted at contesting the upcoming municipal elections in Thane and Navi Mumbai all alone with the vision of installing its own mayors in these civic bodies.

With the party indicating a solo contest in these satellite townships of Mumbai, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which has a significant presence in this region, especially in Thane, is drawing up similar plans as a countermeasure.

The term of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) ended in March 2022, while that of the Navi Mumbai civic body came to an end in May 2020.

The post of mayor in Thane was last held by Naresh Mhaske of the Shiv Sena, while the one in Navi Mumbai was held by Jayant Sutar, who was with the undivided NCP in the beginning but joined the BJP later during his term.

Mhaske is currently the Shiv Sena MP from the Thane Lok Sabha constituency.

BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar, who represents the Thane assembly segment, recently made it clear that the party is prepared to contest the upcoming civic body polls in the city independently.

"If we contest alone, we have a chance to install our own mayor. Thane residents will support us, and we want a BJP mayor in the city," he said while addressing party aspirants a few days back.

He added that the BJP has set the target of crossing 70 seats in the upcoming Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) elections.

Sena's Mhaske confirmed that there is growing sentiment in his party ranks to fight the local municipal corporation elections solo.

"Some allies are consistently talking about going solo in civic body elections. Then our Shiv Sena workers wondered why Sena is keen on alliance when the ally is saying exactly the opposite. If the ally wants a solo contest, why should we insist on contesting as an alliance? Some Shiv Sena workers expressed themselves on those lines," Mhaske told reporters on Thursday following a meeting with local councillors and office-bearers the previous night.

The rift came into focus after Shiv Sena office-bearers in Thane expressed resentment, alleging that BJP functionaries were obstructing Sena-led development works.

Mhaske tried to calm down the cadre by asking them to maintain organisational discipline, but acknowledged their concerns.

The BJP, meanwhile, has launched a full-fledged exercise to prepare for a solo fight in Thane.

A workshop for aspirants across all 33 wards drew participation from 416 aspirants across 18 mandals, where slogans like "Abki Baar 70 Paar" and "Mahapaur BJP chach honar" (It will definitely be a BJP mayor) were raised, underscoring the party's intention to secure control of the corporation.

The TMC has 131 seats for corporators, divided across 33 wards.

In 2017, both undivided Shiv Sena and the BJP contested separately despite being in government together.

The Shiv Sena won 67 seats while the BJP rose from 8 to 23 in Thane.

In Mumbai, the BJP came within a striking distance of Shiv Sena, winning 82 seats against Sena's 84. Party leaders believe a repeat of this strategy could tilt control in their favour in Thane.

In Navi Mumbai too, BJP leaders have expressed a desire to install their own mayor.

At a strategy meeting attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president Ravindra Chavan, attendees pushed for a clear plan to ensure that the mayor's post goes to the BJP.

Local units have been instructed to hold consultations and communicate whether they prefer a joint or solo contest.

CM Fadnavis has reportedly asked both BJP and Shiv Sena functionaries to assess the ground strength before committing to an alliance formula at the local level.

However, growing tensions between state minister and BJP leader Ganesh Naik and the Eknath Shinde camp, as well as repeated assertions from both sides about contesting independently, indicate that the Mahayuti alliance in Thane and Navi Mumbai could face a direct confrontation.

The local body polls are likely to be held in the next two months or early next year. PTI ND NP