shiv sena: Maharashtra Congress accuses Sena, NCP of changing ward boundaries to its disadvantage
“If parties do the delimitation of wards as per their own self-interest, then there would be an objection and we would go to court,” said Patole.
The Congress alleges that the redrawing of municipal wards for the Pune Municipal Corporation election and the Mumbai Municipal Corporation election has been done in such a way that it divides the Congress pocket boroughs and benefits the NCP in Pune and the Shiv Sena in Mumbai.
Patole said the Congress being an ally in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), its interests should be taken into account while redrawing these wards. “Everyone has to be taken into confidence.
If your own allies’ interests are not considered, and they get affected adversely, then we would object. We also had an issue with the number of electoral panels that was proposed for civic bodies,” said the state Congress chief. In response to a question, he admitted that the Pune delimitation of wards would help the NCP while in Mumbai it would help the Shiv Sena.
A Congress leader in Mumbai said the party would get adversely affected in at least 12 to 15 wards in Mumbai. “The NCP does not have a presence in Mumbai, so they are not complaining against the Sena move, and similarly in Pune, Sena does not have much of a presence, so they are not making a big deal. However, we have a presence in both the districts, and this would impact us adversely,” the Congress leader said.
Aweek ago, Patole had publicly criticised the NCP for forging an alliance with the BJP for the Gondia Zilla Parishad polls. He had also briefed the Congress leadership in Delhi about the NCP move.
