Mahayuti allies to contest civic elections in Mumbai, elsewhere together: Maharashtra BJP chief

Nagpur, Dec 12 (PTI) Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan on Friday said the ruling parties in the state will contest the coming municipal corporation and local body elections as part of the Mahayuti alliance.

The ruling alliance consists of the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party. However, in the fist phase of the elections, the allies were seen contesting against each other in many places. Tensions were also apparent between the BJP and Sena as the saffron party inducted some local Sena leaders into its fold in Thane district, Shinde's bastion.

Speaking at a press conference here, Chavan said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and he held a meeting recently to discuss the roadmap for the civic and zilla parishad elections. The BJP's core committee also discussed poll preparations, he said.

Municipal corporation elections were likely to be held in January, while zilla parishad polls could be delayed as the matter of reservations in these polls was still pending in the High Court, Chavan said.

"Fadnavis and Shinde emphasised the need to evolve a structured mechanism for formulating a joint strategy. All leaders expressed the view that the Mumbai civic polls and elections to other major corporations should be fought as a unified alliance," he said.

Committees will be formed at the party level to finalise seat sharing, said the state BJP chief.

As per Fadnavis's suggestion, a committee of key office-bearers will be set up to handle further planning for the civic elections with the aim of contesting the polls "positively and collectively", he said.

He held a separate meeting with Shinde on Thursday night where they agreed that municipal elections in Mumbai and other cities should be fought as a united alliance, said Chavan.

All election-related decisions will be taken collectively by senior leaders including Fadnavis, Shinde and Ajit Pawar, he said, adding that seat-sharing will reflect "public interest and local conditions." PTI MR KRK