Maharashtra municipal corporation polls: Mahayuti seat sharing with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena leaves BJP aspirants unhappy in Kalyan-Dombivli | Mumbai News

Kalyan: Internal discontent within BJP has come to the fore following the near-finalisation of seat sharing with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena for the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections. For the 122-member KDMC, Shiv Sena is expected to contest 68 seats, while BJP is likely to get 54 seats.Soon after this formula became clear, resentment began brewing within the BJP, with several aspirants and party workers openly expressing anger over the limited number of tickets available to them. BJP aspirants and party workers gathered outside the residence of BJP state president Ravindra Chavan in Dombivli, voicing strong opposition to the alliance arrangement. They demanded that both alliance partners should consider contesting the civic elections separately so that wider representation could be ensured and the morale of committed grassroots workers would not be affected.Senior BJP office-bearer Ravi Gaikar pointed out that the BJP has got very few seats in Kalyan West despite having a strong organisational presence in the area. “We have been preparing here for several years. In the previous municipal corporation elections, many BJP candidates lost by narrow margins of just 100 to 150 votes. Those candidates worked extremely hard on the ground. It is deeply disappointing that they are now being denied tickets only because of the Mahayuti alliance,” he said.Echoing similar sentiments, Sadhana Gaikar said the delegation had directly placed its grievances before Chavan. “We have explained our problems and the efforts put in by party workers. We are hopeful that the party leadership will think positively about us and take our concerns into consideration,” she said.Chavan is said to be holding discussions with them in an attempt to calm tempers and maintain organisational unity.Sources within the party said the alliance between Shiv Sena and the BJP has delivered the biggest setback to those leaders who had switched sides in recent years with the intention of contesting municipal elections. According to insiders, both parties have largely decided to prioritise candidates who had won elections in 2015. As a result, leaders who had won in 2010 but later changed parties in the hope of securing tickets are now facing rejection, leading to growing frustration and anger among them.There is also speculation that some of these disgruntled aspirants are in touch with Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, and even sections of the Congress. Party sources do not rule out the possibility that a few of them may enter the fray as rebel candidates if their demands are not addressed. Such a scenario could complicate the electoral arithmetic for both alliance partners in several wards.At the same time, both the BJP and Shiv Sena are making efforts to pacify the angry aspirants and their supporters to prevent damage to the alliance’s prospects. The Shiv Sena has held power in KDMC for several years, with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde representing the area as a Member of Parliament.