Mumbai mayor race: BJP tapping phones of own and Shiv Sena corporators, claims Raut

Mumbai (PTI): Amid a tussle over the Mumbai mayor's post, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed the phones of newly-elected members of the BJP and Shiv Sena, who are "locked" in a luxury hotel, are being tapped by the ruling party.

He said the corporators of the BJP are being kept under surveillance by workers of that party.

The BJP dismissed Raut's allegations, emphasising that the party doesn't resort to such activities as it trusts its corporators.

Raut claimed the mayor of Mumbai is being decided by Delhi, which is an insult to Maharashtra, slamming the Shiv Sena headed by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

"BJP workers are monitoring (movements) of every corporator of the party. The BJP is also tapping phones of its own corporators," the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP told reporters.

Even phones of Shiv Sena corporators “locked” in a luxury hotel are being tapped, he added.

As the race for Mumbai mayor heated up and suspense deepened over the ruling Shiv Sena's stand, Raut met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray on Tuesday.

In recent polls, the BJP-Sena alliance ended the nearly three-decade-long monopoly of the Thackerays on the country’s richest civic body, which meant Mumbai won’t have a mayor chosen by Uddhav Thackeray.

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won a clear majority in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, securing 89 and 29 seats, respectively.

Shiv Sena subsequently shifted all 29 newly elected members to a luxury hotel in Mumbai, ostensibly for an orientation workshop on the functioning of the civic body.

Shinde has been insisting that the next mayor of Mumbai will be of Mahayuti (BJP-Sena combine). However, he had also hinted at Shiv Sena's claim to the post, projecting it as a mark of respect to Bal Thackeray in his birth centenary year, citing the emotions of Shivsainiks.

Maharashtra BJP media in-charge Navnath Ban trashed Raut's allegations.

"We don't need phone tapping, but Raut should clarify who was tapping Eknath Shinde's and Uday Samant's phones when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (led by Uddhav Thackeray) was in power. We have strong support from corporators, and are not engaged in such activities."