No truck with BJP for civic elections, says Shiv Sena

Ending days of suspense over the possibility of a tie-up with BJP for civic polls in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said his party will contest the upcoming elections to municipal corporations and zilla parishads on its own.

The talks between the ruling alliance partners BJP and Shiv Sena for the tie-up for all-important Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had reached a dead-end in the last few days.

"I am ready to go solo, the Shiv Sainiks are ready to go solo. I want strong foot-soldiers with me who have the courage to launch a frontal attack and not back-stab. Once I have taken my decision, I do not want anybody to question it," Thackeray said while addressing a gathering of party workers here in the evening.

"If you promise to stand by me, I have taken the decision to go solo in Maharashtra. I will not go to anybody's door with a begging bowl for an alliance and won't be at anybody's mercy. I have decided that there will be no alliance for any of the municipal corporation or zilla parishad polls," Thackeray said.

Elections to MCGM and other municipal corporations in the state including Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur and Nagpur are to be held on February 21.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena Thane city chief Naresh Mhaske has dismissed the claim by NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad that the Sena has not done any remarkable development work in the district under its rule, saying that the number of awards won by the city reflects the work done by the civic body.

Addressing a press conference along with city Mayor Sanjay More last evening, Mhaske said had Sena not performed in the last 25 years, how could the city win over 25 awards in all these years from the Central and the state government, which have been led by the Congress and NCP in the past.

"Yes, we take credit for the work we have done and our party chief has been guiding us all through and has been monitoring the progress," he said.