Mumbai: The BJP and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will go solo in the January 15 polls to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Pune municipal corporations, as seat-sharing talks between the two parties have fallen through.
Leaders from both parties, who are allies in the ruling Mahayuti, are now indulging in a blame game over the breakup.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Shiv Sena MLA and cabinet minister Sanjay Shirsat claimed that the BJP snapped the tie-up because of “arrogance” stemming from its growing strength in the region.
The two allies have failed to finalise a seat-sharing arrangement in nearly 10 municipal corporations across the state. As a result, both parties are now preparing to contest separately in several key civic bodies, including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, and other strategically important urban centres.
The most prominent flashpoint in the negotiations has been Thane, where discussions over nearly 10 seats have reportedly stalled talks between the two parties. According to reports, the BJP was offered around 40 seats in the Thane Municipal Corporation, a proposal that triggered dissatisfaction among party workers and local leaders. BJP functionaries are demanding at least 10 additional seats, citing the party’s organisational strength and electoral presence in multiple pockets of the city.
Upset with BJP over seat allocation, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena might likely part ways with it ahead of the PMC polls.
Accusing the BJP of not allotting a respectful share of seats to the Shiv Sena in their pre-poll alliance, the Eknath Shinde-led party on Tuesday said it is all set to part ways with the NDA partner ahead of elections to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
The deadlock comes at a critical time, as the Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state. These include high-profile civic bodies such as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation, and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.
In Mumbai, polling across 227 wards is scheduled for January 15, with counting set for January 16. With little time left for reconciliation, the failure of Mahayuti allies to reach a unified seat-sharing formula could significantly impact their electoral prospects in Maharashtra’s crucial civic battlegrounds.
