Mumbai, Feb 11 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, whose party sprang a surprise by supporting rival BJP in the mayoral elections in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur civic body, on Wednesday squarely blamed its MVA ally Congress for the “mess”.
He said the Congress should be “ashamed” of not being able to occupy power in Chandrapur despite emerging as the single largest party, and added that there was no point in blaming his party for the political twist.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut said the move by the Sena (UBT) corporators to back the BJP in the mayoral polls was taken at the local level and not by the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership.
While the BJP shares power with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP in the Mahayuti government in the state, the Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) and the Congress are constituents of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Raut said Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had given clear instructions to the party functionaries in Chandrapur not to help the BJP in any way even if that meant sitting in the Opposition, he said.
“Still due to Congress’ mess, local (Shiv Sena-UBT) leaders have taken the decision. This does not mean we have joined hands with the BJP,” Raut said.
The faction-riven Congress suffered a major embarrassment after a surprise alliance between the Sena (UBT) and the BJP led to the election of a BJP mayor in Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, despite the grand old party being in a position to claim the post.
BJP’s Sangeeta Khandekar won the mayoral election by a single vote, defeating Congress candidate Vaishali Mahadule, with the Thackeray-led party extending support to the saffron party. Sena (UBT) corporator Prashant Danav was elected deputy mayor.
The development raised serious questions over Opposition unity and the viability of the MVA.
Chandrapur is one of the few municipal corporations where the Congress had emerged as the largest party and was poised to secure the mayor’s post.
However, deep internal divisions between factions led by Vijay Wadettiwar and Pratibha Dhanorkar handed an opening to the BJP.
Attacking the Congress, Raut said the party should be ashamed that despite having the highest number of corporators, they could not win power in Chandrapur.
In the elections held for the 66-member civic body last month, the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats, followed closely by the BJP with 23.
The Sena (UBT) won six seats, the Bharatiya Shetkari Kamgar Paksh (Janvikas Sena) three, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) two, while All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Shiv Sena secured one seat each. Two Independents were also elected.
“Who is responsible for this? This should be probed at the highest level. There is no point blaming the Shiv Sena (UBT),” Raut said.
He further said the VBA and the AIMIM did not back the Congress in mayoral polls because there was no unanimity in the party.
On NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar raising several question marks over the January 28 Baramati plane crash that killed deputy chief minister and his uncle Ajit Pawar, Raut said there is scope of suspicion.
Maharashtra should think about what Rohit Pawar has presented, he said.
“Was there a pre-planned conspiracy? Someone important from the Pawar family who is a lawmaker has raised this,” he said.
He said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should probe all angles related to Ajit Pawar’s death as pointed out by Rohit Pawar. PTI PR NP
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