RPI-Athawale supports Sena-BJP in Aurangabad civic polls

Republican Party of India (RPI- Athawale) today declared support to the BJP-Shiv Sena combine in the April 22 elections to Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and will start its campaigning from tomorrow.
"Our party has decided to support the BJP and Shiv Sena for the Aurangabad municipal election. Starting tomorrow, we will start our campaign. After coming to power in the State, our next big challenge is to retain power in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation which I am sure we will," RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale told reporters here.
He said the BJP and Sena have given three seats each from their quota to the Dalit outfit to contest in Aurangabad, an import town in Central Maharashtra which has a 113-member civic body.

"For the Navi Mumbai Municipal election (also on April 22), we have not been given anything (by the combine). Thus, we will be contesting 11 seats there on our own and support two Independents as well," Athawale said.
Taking partial credit for Sena candidate Trupti Sawant's victory in the Bandra bypoll, Athawale said her vote count would have dropped by at least 15,000 had his party not supported the saffron outfit.
"During the (October) Assembly election, (Sena leader) Bala Sawant had garnered around 47 per cent voteshare and got about 41,000 votes. This time, RPI extended support to (his widow) Trupti Sawant, who secured about 51 per cent vote share. Had we not supported her, her vote count would have dropped by around 15,000 at least," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The civic elections in Navi Mumbai and Aurangabad, will be an acid test for the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, who are sharing power in Maharashtra after a gap of 15 years.
The Sena-BJP alliance is ruling AMC since 1988.