After the Lok Sabha polls’ conclusion in Maharashtra, the Pune unit of Shiv Sena has demanded the deputy mayor’s post in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) from the BJP.

The Sena has demanded power-sharing in the PMC, a post in the standing committee and increased budgetary allocation for its corporators. The party has also demanded the president’s post in four regional ward offices and appropriate memberships in other committees. The Sena has justified its demands on grounds that the two parties have an alliance in the state for the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.

The demands from Sena are in view of the ongoing elections for various committees in the PMC. The nomination process for the law committee, sports committee, city improvement committee, and women and child development committee has already begun, along with the process for electing the president of regional ward offices.

Sanjay Bhosale, Shiv Sena leader in the PMC, said, “We have worked hard for BJP’s victory in Pune. Girish Bapat, guardian minister, and the BJP have assured us of appropriate share in the power. Though the election for various committees has started, the BJP leadership is yet to discuss with us before filing the nominations. We are hoping that the BJP keeps its promise.”

Bhosale said that the BJP corporators have a budget of ₹ 5 crore to ~6 crore, while Sena representatives get just ~2 crore. “Our demand is that the annual budget of Sena members should be increased,” he said.

Shrinath Bhimale, leader of the House in PMC and head of BJP in PMC, said, “We are bound to keep our promise under the alliance. The alliance formula was decided at the state level. The state leadership should tell us which posts can be shared with the alliance partner. If the guardian minister and the state leadership ask us to give the deputy mayor’s post to Sena, we will give it.”

Bhimale said raising the budget of Sena corporators will be worked out at the earliest. “We have asked Sena to file the nomination form for the Yerawada ward office. They have not done so and we are waiting for instructions from the state leadership,” he said.

The BJP is ruling in the 162member PMC with 97 corporators while the Sena has ten.

Significantly, both BJP and Sena contested against each other in the civic polls.

First Published: May 04, 2019 14:20 IST