MP meets Chahal, but latter declines, saying it’s a law-and-order issue
Former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators protest outside the municipal commissioner’s office at the BMC HQ on Thursday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
Hours after both Shiv Sena factions clashed at the party office at the BMC headquarters on Wednesday, the administration sealed all party and committee chairman offices. In light of this, former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators staged a protest outside the office of municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Thursday, demanding that the office be opened. Meanwhile, the Thackeray faction’s MP Vinayak Raut along with a few ex-corporators met the civic chief. Chahal, however, declined to open the office, saying it was a law-and-order issue.
On Wednesday, both factions had sought to take over the party office. After a slogan war ensued between the groups, the police had to step in to disperse the crowd and close the office. Party offices are not kept open in municipalities where administrators oversee operations. However, the commissioner assured the Thackeray faction that he would consider reopening the party office.
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“Every corporator’s term ended on March 7, 2022. According to the rules, there is no need for party offices to be open in the headquarters as there are no elected corporators,” said a BMC official. Raut said, “We have demanded that all party offices be opened as they are used by former corporators to solve local issues. They come to do civic, not political work. After the administrator started running things, the civic chief closed all offices. But former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ordered the municipal commissioner to keep them open for former corporators.”
“There are no representatives of the people in any local self-governing body. Why don’t they hold elections,” he asked. Shinde faction leader Naresh Mhaske said, “We also have the right to use the Shiv Sena office. This is not anyone's personal property. No one can say that the office belongs to the Thackeray group. This is the office of Balasaheb’s Shiv Sainiks.” Meanwhile, staffers working at party offices fear losing income. “We are employed here and get a salary from our respective parties. If these offices are closed, no one will get paid,” said one such employee .
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