Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, and Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, did not turn up in Nagpur to campaign for their candidates in the civic polls.
Sunday was the last day of campaigning for the polls. The Congress organised only one rally of its Maharashtra unit president Ashok Chavan during this time. Other senior Congress leaders, like Prithviraj Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, and Narayan Rane, were absent.
However, the Bhartiya Janata Party had fielded all its senior leaders, MLAs and even Rajya Sabha MPs for the campaign to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) polls. The party has been ruling the civic body for the last ten years.
Pacifying rebels
Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari was actively involved in distribution of tickets for the polls, and in pacifying the rebels and the disgruntled party workers who were denied the tickets. He addressed rallied in various parts of the city on the last few days of campaigning.
During one rally, he asked locals to approach to him directly if they are asked to pay taxes for the dissolved Nagpur Improvement Trust.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also campaigned for the party in his home town. He was the youngest mayor of the NMC in 1997 at the age of 26. BJP spokesperson and MLC Girish Vyas said Mr. Fadnavis addressed one rally in every Assembly constituency.
BJP aspirants
The BJP had the highest number of ticket aspirants in every ward. The party conducted a number of surveys and distributed tickets on the basis of “winnability”.
It denied tickets to around 40 sitting corporators, fuelling public resentment. The aspirants, who were denied tickets, included the relatives of senior RSS functionaries like Ravi Joshi.
The party also expelled 95 party members for “rebellion” against the party’s official nominees and for contesting as Independents.
However, the party does not face resistance from other parties in Nagpur except the Congress.
The NCP and Shiv Sena have a very limited vote share and seats and many of the BSP’s leaders were campaigning for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Mr.Vyas said, “We will win more than 100 seats this time without any support.”
