Drifting apart: Sena takes on CM, goes solo in civic polls

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, October 13

Candidates of the Shiv Sena today filed nominations for all the seats in the forthcoming elections to the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation after the party decided not to tie up with the BJP, party sources said here today. 

Shiv Sena leaders asked party functionaries to get candidates file their nominations on Monday shortly after its cadres blackened the face of Sudheendra Kulkarni.

The development comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chided the Shiv Sena for bringing the state a bad name due to the protests against Kulkarni at former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri's book launch in Mumbai. The Sena, a junior partner in the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre, also locked horns with Fadnavis for criticising it, saying he had "failed to understand Maharashtra" and that his condemnation of the incident brought the state "a bad name".

On the other hand, BJP leaders said the local unit of the party had decided not to tie up with the Shiv Sena a long time ago. “We had shortlisted our candidates earlier this month,” a BJP leader said. Elections to the civic body will be held on November 1.

Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve said the party had left the decision on the alliance issue with local BJP unit in Kalyan. "We are not going to impose anything on the local unit," he added.

The Shiv Sena opposed the launch of Kasuri's book “Neither a Hawk, Nor a Dove: An Insider Account of Pakistan's Foreign Policy” saying there should be no engagement with Pakistan as long as it supports terror attacks on Indian soil.

At present, the Shiv Sena and the BJP are jointly in power in the Kalyan and Dombivali satellite cities adjacent to Mumbai. Sensing a divide between the two saffron parties, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party stitched up an alliance to jointly contest the 122 seats in the House. 

Sena likens Kulkarni to Ajmal Kasab

Unfazed by all-round criticism for blackening Sudheendra Kulkarni's face for his refusal to cancel Pakistan's ex-minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch, Shiv Sena on Tuesday likened the ORF chief to 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Kulkarni he respected Sena’s freedom of expression and they should respect others' freedom too.