Two days after Shiv Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked his party workers and leaders to prepare for local body polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said it is ready for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.
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A meeting of the party leaders, MPs and MLAs from Mumbai was held to strategise the campaigning for the polls, which are likely to be announced soon. The polls were announced in the first week of January, 2017 but have now been delayed due to the third wave of the novel coronavirus.
“Our aim is to win this election. We discussed with our leaders on the campaign strategy and how to win as many seats as possible. We are confident that we will win as the ruling Sena has failed to deliver on the promises of development. We are ready for polls anytime,” said MLA and former Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar.
The BJP’s meeting came two days after Mr. Thackeray asked his party workers and leaders to ensure Sena’s victory. While there has been no clarity on when the polls will be held owing to the virus situation in the State, all parties have begun ground work as the elections to the municipal corporations and the zilla parishads are seen as mini-Assembly elections and a test of strength of all parties.
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A day after indulging in war of words over Hindutva, the BJP on Tuesday targeted the BMC for naming a garden in Malvani area of western suburbs as Veer Tipu Sultan. The area falls under the constituency of Congress MLA and Minister Aslam Sheikh. The programme is being scheduled on January 26.
The BJP claimed that Tipu Sultan, a ruler of Mysore kingdom in 1780s who is known to have fought fierce battles against the British to save his throne, was anti-Hindu and killed them. “How can Shiv Sena allow this? Have they forgotten Hindutva?” asked BJP corporator Bhalchandra Shirsat.