ULHASNAGAR: As campaigning intensifies for the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting separately in the city, adding to the political heat. Recently, former BJP MLA Narendra Pawar triggered a debate by taking a swipe at Shiv Sena, claiming that the “dadagiri of the bow-and-arrow symbol will not work in Ulhasnagar.” Referring to the Ambernath and Badlapur municipal council elections, Pawar said such dominance had already been defeated there and would meet the same fate in Ulhasnagar.Responding to the remark, Shiv Sena MP from the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency, Shrikant Shinde, addressed the issue during the inauguration of offices of Shiv Sena candidates and workers in Ulhasnagar. Shinde while naming Pawar advised leaders of the Mahayuti to maintain restraint and avoid public statements against alliance partners.Shinde stated that the Shiv Sena and the BJP are contesting together in several municipal corporations, while in some places they are fighting elections independently. He recalled that in the recently concluded municipal council elections across Maharashtra, alliance partners contested separately at many locations but avoided verbal attacks on each other and still achieved strong electoral results. He stressed that a similar approach should be followed during the ongoing municipal corporation elections.During the same visit, Srikanth Shinde, along with District Chief Gopal Landge, TOK Chief Omie Kalani and MLA Balaji Kinikar, met Shiv Sena candidates across the city and reviewed the status of election campaigning. Shinde informed party workers that in Ulhasnagar, the Shiv Sena, TOK, SAI p and RPI are contesting the elections together. He said the atmosphere across all panels is positive and favourable for the alliance.Highlighting development works carried out in the city, Shinde pointed to the construction of cement concrete roads, underground drainage pipelines, no-cash counter hospitals, and the ongoing work on a sports stadium. He said these development initiatives have been widely appreciated by citizens and expressed confidence that voters, taking into account the work done by Shiv Sena and its allies, will ensure a decisive victory for the alliance candidates in the upcoming elections.
