Swara Garge, Pune
As never-ending twists continue in Maharashtra politics, 8 former Corporators join the Shinde camp. In an event at the official CM residence, six members of Congress, one from the Shiv Sena (UBT), and another from the Samajwadi Party joined the Shiv Sena on Saturday, in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. They were also accompanied by MLA Tukaram Kate and his wife, Anagha, for the Shiv Sena (UBT).
The departure is a setback for Congress, which is gearing up for the India meeting with its MVA partners, which will take place in Mumbai next week. Insiders claim that leaders have requested damage control assistance from MP Rahul Gandhi. It is thought that individuals who changed sides had issues with Varsha Gaikwad, the head of the Mumbai Congress. In June of this year, she was promoted to this position, taking Bhai Jagtap’s place. Pushpa Koli (Sion), Wajit Qureshi (Chandivli), Bhaskar Shetty (Dharavi), Babbu Khan (Dharavi), and Kunal Mane and his wife Ganga Mane (Dharavi) are the six members of the Congress who have defected.
The working president of the Mumbai Congress, Charan Singh Sapra, remarked, “It is terrible that they are leaving after so many years of service to the party. Babbu Khan, the leader of our minority wing, is also departing. We need to consider how “khoke sarkar” obtained them.”
Two of the six corporators, according to Shiv Sena sources, are Muslims, indicating that the party wants to expand its support among minorities. The Shiv Sena and BJP are obtaining past candidates in order to have a sufficient number of supporters to be able to run for office and take control of the BMC.
Kate, a former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA who oversees a Chembur school with 4,000 kids, claimed Shinde had pledged to renovate his deteriorating institution. He made the following observation: “There is a Shivaji statue in Chembur whose height is lower than that of the metro.” He added, “When I wanted to meet then-CM Uddhav Thackeray about it, they asked me to perform a COVID test. I haven’t met him yet.” He further claimed that Shivaji Maharaj was being insulted by this action.
With the growing strength of the Shinde faction, it becomes increasingly worrisome for Congress and Sena (UBT) to consolidate their members and their role in Maharashtra politics.