The Shiv Sena has received a shot in the arm ahead of next year's BMC polls. In a first in 50 years, the party on Friday won the trust of the BEST employees in the elections of the Workers Coope-rative Credit Society, winning 16 out 21 seats of directors.
<img title="The credit society acts as a financial backbone to families of BEST workers, as it provides loans at affordable interest rates and offers attractive rate of interest on deposits. Representational pic" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2016/jul/17-BEST-bus.jpg" alt="The credit society acts as a financial backbone to families of BEST workers, as it provides loans at affordable interest rates and offers attractive rate of interest on deposits. Representational pic" /> The credit society acts as a financial backbone to families of BEST workers, as it provides loans at affordable interest rates and offers attractive rate of interest on deposits. Representational pic
What should make the Sena happier is that its close rival, the BJP, finished poorly in the polls and did not win a single seat. The difference of votes between the ruling partners in the BMC, and the state was large. The Sena polled 9,500 votes, while the BJP got just around 1,000 votes.
<img title="Sharad Rao" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2016/jul/Sharad-Rao.jpg" alt="Sharad Rao" /> Sharad Rao
The 35,000-member credit society is worth over Rs 1,000 crore and acts as a financial backbone to families of BEST workers, as it provides loans at affordable interest rates and offers attractive rate of interest on deposits. It also gives dividends to members who work in BEST's transport and electricity divisions.
Until now, trade union leader and NCP man Sharad Rao led the workers' union panel. This year, for the first time, the Sena fielded its exclusive Utkarsh Panel and wrested power from Rao's team, which won just five seats. The Sena also caused a huge defeat for the BJP camp, which contested as Parivartan Panel, but returned empty handed in a polling that was held across BEST depots in the city on July 13.
Commenting on the results, Shiv Sena leader and BEST Kamgar Sena (workers' union) chief Suhas Samant said that it was a good omen for his party ahead of the BMC polls. &ldquo;The Sena polled 9,500 votes of the total 25,000 cast that day. You must remember that the families of our society voters stay in Mumbai and support the Sena. This shows that the Sena will be the number one party in the BMC elections as well.&rdquo;
Sources said that the Sena's strength increased manifold when Vitthal Gaikwad, who heads a recognised workers' union in the electricity division joined the party two months ago, along with his supporters. Samant's BEST Kamgar Sena and Gaikwad's Mumbai Electric Workers' Union came together to pose a challenge to Rao's panel.
According to figures available, the Rao Panel got 8,000 votes (five seats) and Rayatraj Panel walked away with 3,500 votes, but won no seat. The BJP, which went in solo during the election, polled some 1,000 votes and failed to win a single seat.

Shiv Sena has received a shot in the arm ahead of next year's BMC polls. In a first in 50 years, the party on Friday won the trust of the BEST employees in the elections of the Workers Coope-rative Credit Society

Mumbai: Shiv Sena win the trust of the BEST employees over NCP

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Mumbai: Shiv Sena win the trust of the BEST employees over NCP

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