Post BMC polls, Uma Bharti downplays rift between BJP, Shiv Sena

After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious by securing 470 seats in the Maharashtra civic polls; Minister of Water Resources Uma Bharti on Thursday declared there is no rift between the BJP and Shiv Sena.

"The love and bond between BJP and Shiv Sena is not from now, but age old. With this love, some or the other positive result will surely come out. When there is love there are small fights too and it's all ok in the party, nothing is serious,' said Uma.

Uma also congratulated Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on BJP's victory and called it a splendid success.

"For Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, I wish him a hearty congratulation on his success. It was a splendid win, the hard work taken up by him and the party showed up on the results. In Mumbai, where we once had 30 seats currently we own more than 400 and I totally grant this success to him," she said.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena secured substantial wins in the BMC election. In all ten municipal corporations and 25 zila parishads went to polls in Maharashtra.

Parties that faced crushing defeats included the Congress, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Of the 227 seats up for grabs in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena has won 84 seats, the BJP 82, the Congress 31, the NCP nine and the MNS seven. Other candidates have won 13 seats.

In Pune, the BJP has won 74 of the 162 seats, the NCP 34, the Shiv Sena eight, the MNS five and the Congress two.

In Thane, the Shiv Sena won 42 of the 131 seats, the NCP 16, the BJP 14, while the MNS and the Congress won four and one seat respectively.