Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP, on Saturday denied claims made by the Congress that the Sena had approached the party to form an alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). He also added that the Mayor would be from the Shiv Sena only.
Shiv Sena had reportedly approached Congress on Friday to form an alliance following the results of the BMC polls in which no party could reach the halfway mark of 114 seats. Shiv Sena bagged the maximum number of seats at 87, after three independent corporators joined the party, while Bharatiya Janata Party gave a tough fight to Sena by winning 82 seats. The Congress won 31 seats.
"Mayor will be from Shiv Sena only. Wait till March 9. We haven't approached the Congress for alliance. The reports are false," Raut told reporters on Saturday.
Since none of the parties were able to reach the halfway mark of 114 seats, Shiv Sena, which won the maximum number of seats, approached the Congress for a post-poll alliance. A senior Congress leader told IANS that Sena approached the party for an alliance in Mumbai, but the party did not show any interest.
Adding that the decision of not allying with Sena had been conveyed to vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP from Mumbai's North East constituency Gurudas Kamat on Saturday released a statement saying: "I take strong objection to any discussion even, of having any tie up or indirect support to the Shiv Sena in the BMC. We have fought against both saffron parties all along for their divisive policies and people will not spare us if we even attempt to align with them. Let them sort out their problems by themselves and in the process expose themselves and their lust for power."
I take strong objection to any discussion even, of having any tie up or indirect support to Shiv Sena in BMC: Gurudas Kamat, Congress pic.twitter.com/Ydg4JEsqPq
— ANI (@ANI_news) February 25, 2017
Shiv Sena has already showed disinterest in forming alliance with BJP again to gain power in the BMC.
If Sena and Congress form an alliance, they could easily get absolute majority with 118 seats (87+31) thereby crossing the halfway mark of 114 seats in the 227 seat-strong BMC House. Both Sena and BJP were not able to win the required number of seats to elect someone from their party to the post of Mayor.
The three independent corporators, who joined Sena on Friday, took the tally of seats for the party to 87 from the initial 84. Sena is now the largest-single entity so far in the country's biggest and richest civic body. The BMC poll results proved to be big disappointment for Congress, which ruled the state for almost 15 years in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) till 2014.
The poll results saw a massive achievement for BJP, who usually wins 30 odd seats in the BMC elections. The party made tremendous gains in nine other major civic bodies of Maharashtra as well.
