Sena to go solo in civic polls; BJP asserts change in state

Capping days of aggressive posturing that marked uncertainty over forging of ties with BJP for upcoming civic polls including BMC, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today announced his party would go solo but remained non-committal whether it would continue as a junior alliance partner in the NDA government.
Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the "change" will happen in state irrespective of whoever comes along with BJP, while state unit president asserted that state government will complete its full term.
In a combative speech aimed at galvanising his party workers, Thackeray raked up the controversy over replacement of Mahatma Gandhi's photos with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's on calenders of Khadi Udyog.

"I have not received any call from any senior leader in BJP. Shiv Sena is 50 years old; however, the 25 years of our time in alliance (with BJP) is rotten one. We always hailed you (BJP) on Hindutva issue. However, Sena is not born for the sake of power. Whoever tries to underestimate Sena, we will ensure they will be uprooted," he told the gathering of party workers and leaders at suburban Goregaon.
Blaming BJP for "insulting" Sena, he said, "Sena will not go for an alliance in upcoming civic elections. We will unfurl the bhagva (saffron) flag in Maharashtra all alone."

While Sena is a junior alliance partner in the NDA governments at Centre and in Maharashtra, it is a ruling party in the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, where it has been in power with the BJP for over two decades.

Thackeray said Sena needed foot soldiers who had the "courage to launch a frontal attack, instead of indulging in "back-stabbing".
"Once I have taken the decision, I do not want anybody to question it. If you promise to stand by me, I have taken the decision to go it alone in Maharashtra. I will not go to anybody with a begging bowl for alliance and will not be at anybody's mercy. I have decided there will be no alliance for any of the coming municipal corporation or zilla parishad polls," he said evoking huge applause.

Referring to recent protests in Tamil Nadu, he said the next month's polls are no less than 'jallikattu' where "a bull needs to be tamed" once and for all.
The last straw on the fate of alliance came when Sena whittled down BJP's claim to contest 114 out of total 227 seats for BMC to mere 60.
The talks for the civic polls dragged on as both the parties engaged in muscle-flexing over seat-sharing formula.
In the 2012 BMC polls, Sena had contested 158 seats and won 75, whereas the BJP won 32 out of 69 seats it had fought.

Elections to 10 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur, would be held on February 21. Elections to 25 zilla parishads will be held in two phases, on February 16 and February 21.