Civic polls: Shinde camp sets up team for organisational work in Mumbai

‘We have to strengthen our cadre in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation area,” says a senior leader

Ahead of the civic polls, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena appointed a six-member team that will be responsible for organisational work in the State capital.

Members of Parliament Gajanan Kirtikar and Rahul Shewale, Minister Deepak Kesarkar, deputy leaders Sheetal Mhatre and Asha Mamidi are part of the team, apart from Mr. Shewale’s wife Kamini Shewale.

“Our main target is the upcoming Mumbai civic poll which is likely to be held in a few months. We have to strengthen our cadre in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation [BMC] area,” a senior leader in the Shinde faction said.

He said they would set up Shiv Sena shakhas in the city to strengthen the cadre as well as vote bank. There are hundreds of shakhas which are currently with Uddhav Thackeray.

“Apart from Marathi-speaking people, our people will reach out to non-Marathi areas, which were neglected by the Thackerays for decades. If we manage to gain their confidence, winning BMC won’t be an issue for us,” he said.

For more than 25 years, the Shiv Sena is controlling Asia’s richest civic body. Apart from two of the three Sena MPs from Mumbai, six MLAs from the city are in the Shinde camp.