On the lines of Thane, a major chunk of former Shiv Sena corporators from Navi Mumbai have now extended support to Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. 32 out of 38 corporators who won the 2015 Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation polls on a Sena ticket met Shinde at his Thane residence on Thursday.
As the term of the elected corporators came to an end in 2020 itself, Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar has been running the affairs of the civic body as the Administrator. The election to the NMMC is likely to take place later this year.
Speaking to the media after meeting the ex-Navi Mumbai Shiv Sena corporators, Eknath Shinde remarked, “All these corporators, Shiv Sena office-bearers and the office-bearers of the women’s wing have reposed faith in my stance. I thank them as I am taking forward Balasaheb Thackeray’s stance and the thoughts of Anand Dighe. This is a government of the common man and development. I will not break the trust reposed in me by corporators and office-bearers. The government will try to do everything possible for the development works in their wards. We have resolved to ensure the all-round development of Navi Mumbai.”
He added, “51 MLAs- 40 Shiv Sena and 11 Independents are with me. They have remained firm on their stance. The Speaker has recognised our majority in the Shiv Sena Legislature Party. The Speaker has taken the decision in consonance with the law and the Constitution.”
Setback for Uddhav Thackeray
The woes for Uddhav Thackeray have increased manifold after the Eknath Shinde-led government not only managed to get its Speaker candidate elected but also proved its majority on the floor of the Assembly. Moreover, former Lok Sabha MP Anandrao Adsul resigned from the organizational post of Shiv Sena leader. As per sources, he is likely to join the rebel faction group as well. With Shinde’s sacking and Adsul’s resignation, the number of designated Shiv Sena leaders has been reduced to 10.
On July 6, Thackeray suffered another blow as 66 out of 67 Shiv Sena corporators who won the 2017 Thane Municipal Corporation polls jumped ship to the Shinde camp. As per reports, only one Sena corporator of the previous term- Lok Sabha MP Rajan Vichare’s wife Nandini Vichare, supports the Uddhav faction. In a letter addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday, the Sena Parliamentary Party leader Sanjay Raut urged him to recognise Rajan Vichare as the Chief Whip in the Lower House in place of Bhawana Gawali.
