Senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde said Shiv Sena and Congress have between them “exchanged” 50 seats in the BMC elections as “Valentine’s Day gifts”.
Both Sena and Congress have in a tacit understanding withdrawn their respective candidates in favour of the other party on those seats where the BJP is in a strong position, he said at BJP headquarters.
“This has been done with the sole intention to pool in their resources to take on the BJP,” Tawde said.
“The Sena and Congress had already struck a deal in connection with 42 seats and now have done so for 50 more seats,” he said.
Tawde wondered as to how the Sena, which once vehemently opposed Valentine’s Day celebrations and smashed shops selling merchandise on the occasion, is now exchanging “Valentine’s Day gifts” with each other.
He argued that this exchange of total 92 seats was ostensibly done with a view to prevent shifting of two to three percent votes in seats where they expect close contest.
The senior BJP leader alleged that depending upon each other’s candidates relative strength, the other party (Congress & Sena) has decided to wind up their respective election campaigning in favour of the other.
Hitting out at the Sena, Tawde reeling out income details of 20 of the Sena corporators, said that properties of some of them since the 2007 and 2012 BMC elections have increased by leaps and bounds.
“Which profession were these corporators engaged in that saw their property assets increase so exponentially,” he asked.
Commenting upon the daily tirade launched against BJP by Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, Tawde said the Sena chief was raising issues like food being served to army jawans at the border and other issues which are not connected with the BMC elections.
Referring to NCP chief Sharad Pawar hinting at a possibility of mid-term Assembly polls, Tawde pointed out that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already stated that the BJP government shall last its full five year term, adding that no one wants a mid-term election now.
Reacting to Tawde’s allegations, Anil Desai, Shiv Sena MP, said that BJP does not have any other face than Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and people like Tawde who were eyeing the Fadnavis’ post are trying to raise such non-issues. Desai said that Tawde’s allegation is testimony of the fact that BJP does not have any valid point to raise with respect to BMC. He pointed out that there was absolutely no chance of an alliance with the Congress.
