Mumbai, February 19 Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said on Thursday that a "secular front" comprising corporators from his party, those of the NCP (SP), and a group of rebel BJP corporators will ensure the alliance gets the posts of mayor and deputy mayor in the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation in neighbouring Thane district.
Facing a rare rebellion, Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar asserted that those who have left the BJP are "non-entities" for the party. He said they cannot be called rebels.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said the question is whether these two national parties, the BJP and the Congress, are forming an alliance.
In many places, the BJP and Congress, and the BJP and AIMIM have come together, Thackeray said. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Addressing reporters here earlier in the day, Sapkal said the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the January 15 polls with 30 seats, and it has the support of 12 NCP (SP) corporators, therefore requiring support of just four more to secure a majority in the 90-member civic body.
"The Congress has decided not to align with the BJP or the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and has not compromised on its ideological stand. Some BJP corporators have now left the party and its ideology and joined the secular front, which will enable us to elect the mayor and deputy mayor," Sapkal said.
He said Narayan Chaudhary, who has quit the BJP along with a few colleagues and formed an independent group, has extended support to the Congress-led front.
Sapkal added that discussions with like-minded parties had been going on for the past 24 days and the deadlock has now ended.
"Party observers will be sent soon to take a final call on the mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee posts. Keeping the BJP out of power remains the Congress' clear position," Sapkal asserted.
Bhiwandi NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Suresh Mhatre, also known as Balya Mama, said efforts to form a Congress-NCP (SP) secular front had been underway for nearly 24 days.
Talks were also held with the Samajwadi Party, but it chose to side with the Shinde faction, he said. The entry of rebel BJP corporators has now cleared the way for government formation in the civic body, Mhatre added.
Reacting to the reported split among corporators in the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation, Shelar said those who have left the BJP are "non-entities" for the party.
"The person who goes away from the party's line of thought cannot even be called a party rebel. He has become persona non grata for us. The one who splits away from the party does not belong to the BJP. The one who is honestly following the BJP's school of thought is a swayamsevak or true party worker," Shelar said.
He admitted he did not have the exact details of what had transpired in Bhiwandi and added he would seek more information on the matter.
The BJP's state president would take an appropriate decision after reviewing the situation, Shelar said.
In the recently held civic election to the 90-member Bhiwandi-Nizampur civic body, the Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 30 seats, followed by the BJP (22), Shiv Sena (12), 12 by NCP (SP), Samajwadi Party (6), Patil's KVA (4), and Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi (3). One Independent candidate also won.