Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday instructed the party’s district unit presidents and top functionaries to galvanise their workers into contesting the local civic body elections in Maharashtra.
“Uddhav asked Sena’s district presidents to galvanise their grassroots workers and begin poll preparations. He also instructed them to keep a close watch on the electoral roll revision and the ward delimitation process,” Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab said after attending a meeting at Hotel Taj Lands End in Bandra West.
Former Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Vinayak Raut said that party workers are in a mood to contest the elections alone. “They feel we should fight the local body polls alone, but Uddhav will take the final decision,” he said.
However, the possibility of contesting as a united front under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) remains open. Earlier on Friday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar indicated that the MVA alliance, comprising the NCP, Congress, and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, will soon hold discussions about fighting the civic polls together.
The forthcoming polls will cover 29 municipal corporations, where ward delimitation has already begun, along with 32 zilla parishads, 336 village panchayat samitis, and 248 municipal councils.
Uddhav Thackeray has also conveyed to his party men that he is open to joining hands with the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to ensure that the prestigious and cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stays in the hands of the Sena.
Uddhav has instructed his party men to review the issue of forming alliances and fronts at the local level across the state. Yet, if an alliance or front is not formed, Uddhav Thackeray has given instructions to be ready to fight alone as a party on all seats. The party’s district chiefs and liaison heads have been instructed to submit a report on this possibility within a month, party sources said.
“Study the voter lists and find out how the number of voters increased all of a sudden in the assembly elections after the Lok Sabha elections. Where did they increase? Find out about bogus voters in voter lists,” Uddhav Thackeray instructed his workers.
Uddhav Thackeray has asked Sena leaders to investigate how 40 lakh voters were added and to gather information about corruption in voter lists, party sources said.