Mumbai, June 11 (IANS) Maharashtra BJP chief and state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday said that the MahaYuti partners including BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP will contest the upcoming local and civic body elections together. He, however, added that in the event of differences over seats in some places, there will be friendly fights in those constituencies.

“We will fight all the elections in the state together as a grand alliance. We have given instructions in this regard to the party leaders and workers. Our local level workers are discussing this with each other.

“However, if a dispute arises in any place over a seat, there will be a friendly fight there. However, in other places, elections will be fought in alliance, so there is no need to be confused,” said Bawankule.

Bawankule’s statement comes a day after the state urban development department issued a notification on initiating the drafting of ward boundaries for 29 municipal corporations including the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) especially in the wake of the recent Supreme Court order directing the Maharashtra government to complete the election process in four months.

The other key civic bodies include Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli.

The Urban Development department has asked the Municipal Commissioners to start preparing ward boundary drafts, which will be sent to the State Election Commission (SEC) for approval.

These civic bodies will also need to invite suggestions and objections from citizens and provide hearings before finalising the boundaries. Currently, these civic bodies are under the administrator’s rule.

Incidentally, NCP working president Praful Patel echoed Bawankule’s view saying that the MahaYuti partners will fight local and civic body elections together.

He said, “We will fight the local body elections together, wherever possible, an alliance will be formed. However, wherever the alliance is not possible, we will fight on our own strength, for which the workers should start preparing from now.”

NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday at a rally to celebrate the party’s completion of 26 years, exhorted the workers to gear up for the polls.

Chief Minister Fadnavis, who was in Akola, also shared Bawankule’s stance. “Our position is firm, we will contest the elections as a grand alliance, but in some places where it is not possible, a friendly contest will take place.”

Meanwhile, NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that his party was of the view that the Maha Vikas Aghadi should jointly contest the upcoming local and civic body elections.

At the party rally on the occasion of its foundation day yesterday, he asked the NCP(SP) workers to start preparations for the polls and added that the party proposes to give 50 per cent tickets to women.

In addition, youth and new faces will be given a priority in the NCP(SP) nominations.

Similarly, Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday appointed 12 leaders to gear up preparations for BMC elections, asking them to increase outreach with the voters.

–IANS

sj/rad