Sena: People favoured MVA govt in Maha Gram Panchayat polls

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said the people of Maharashtra had favoured the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the recently-held Gram Panchayat elections in the state, results of which were declared on Monday. Taking a dig at the BJP in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena said a "political revolution" cannot be staged in the state using the central probe agencies.

The BJP should accept the public mandate favouring the MVA, or else, people of the state will further rout that party, the Sena said.

About 1.25 lakh candidates emerged victorious in the polls held for 12,711 Gram Panchayats on January 15. These polls are not fought on party symbols, but panels are fielded by political parties or local leaders.

The ruling MVA –comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress –on Monday claimed a "huge win" in the Gram Panchayat elections, while the opposition BJP said it had come out stronger in the elections.

The Sena claimed the Thackeray government was addressing people's problems and the state's development has gained momentum on its watch.

"All the MVA constituents have put up an emphatic show in the Gram Panchayat polls. What else is this if not a mandate favouring the Thackeray government in the state?" the Sena asked. "The Gram Panchayat polls have conveyed the people's mandate. Accept that or the people of Maharashtra won't keep quiet till they further rout (you)," it said.

"A political revolution cannot be staged in Maharashtra with the help of 'workers' in the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and Income Tax. Maharashtra's soil is different," the party said.

The Sena claimed that the BJP had lost the Gram Panchayat polls in home turfs of its key state leaders such as Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Raosaheb Danve, Chandrakant Patil, Ram Shinde and Nitesh Rane.

It further stated that the Congress and NCP took a "big leap" in the polls in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.

"The Shiv Sena has prevailed in Konkan, but there was a setback at some places. It will be reviewed later. But the overall results from the entire state show that people have rejected the BJP. This can also mean that people have accepted the Thackeray government," the

editorial said.