‘Corporators got Rs 1 crore each’: MNS leader after Sena (UBT) ditches Cong, helps BJP win Chandrapur mayor post | India News
New Delhi: Senior Dr Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande on Thursday alleged that Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators were paid Rs 1 crore each. BJP The way has been paved for the Saffron party candidate to be elected as the mayor of Chandrapur Municipal Corporation in the mayoral elections.The Shiv Sena (UBT) contested the civic body elections in alliance with the MNS in Mumbai last month, a development that brought together Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray — cousins who had been estranged for years. However, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party continued as part of the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alongside the Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar).Despite the Congress emerging as the single largest party in the civic polls, tensions between the Congress and the Sena (UBT) have surfaced after the BJP succeeded in electing a mayoral candidate in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation with the support of the Sena (UBT) corporators. The Grand Old Party lost by just one vote.“Each Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator received Rs 1 crore in Chandrapur, besides other offers. An individual corporator was given Rs 50 lakh,” claimed Deshpande, head of MNS’s Mumbai unit.Both the Sena (UBT) and the BJP have denied the allegations.Deshpande slammed the Uddhav Thackeray-led party for fouling the party, calling it “correct behaviour” when the Sena (UBT) itself did the same despite the MNS supporting the BJP.He was referring to the local MNS leadership’s support in Kalyan-Dombivli to the rival Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after the civic polls, a move criticized by senior Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.Shiv Sena (UBT) Chandrapur district president Sandeep Girhe hit back at Deshpande, saying he would resign if the MNS leader produced proof that the corporators had received money. Girhe also accused local Congress leaders of insulting Army (UBT) officials in the district.Deshpande, meanwhile, took aim at Sanjay Raut, questioning whether the Senior Sena (UBT) leader was kept in the dark or chose to be “blindfolded” during the Chandrapur development.Raut met MNS president Raj Thackeray in Mumbai on Thursday. Speaking to reporters later, he blamed the Congress for the setback in Chandrapur, saying a more serious discussion should have been held with the Local Army (UBT) corporators.According to Raut, local Congress parties led by MPs Pratibha Dhanorkar and Vijay Wadettiwar have failed to reach a “consensus”. He added that he had spoken to senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal in this regard.“Uddhav Thackeray is personally looking into it. Chandrapur corporators will be summoned to Mumbai in a day or two. Uddhav Thackeray’s position was that under no circumstances would the party do anything that would help the BJP, and that position continues even today,” said the Rajya Sabha MP.BJP’s Sangeeta Khandekar won the Chandrapur mayoral election by a single vote defeating Congress candidate Vaishali Mahadule. Sena (UBT) corporator Prashant Danav has been elected Deputy Mayor.Opposition to development has raised serious questions about unity and the effectiveness of the MVA. Chandrapur is among the few municipal corporations where the Congress has emerged as the single largest party and was expected to secure the mayor’s post.In the 66-member civic body elections, the Congress won 27 seats, followed by the BJP with 23 seats.
