Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde With both Shiv Sena factions getting independent election symbols, political activity in the city has gained steam ahead of the civic elections, which are scheduled to take place in the near future.
The ongoing dispute between the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions of the Sena had slowed down political activities in the city despite the fact that elections to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) are set to be declared anytime.
The Election Commission has allocated new names and symbols for both factions of the Shiv Sena. The faction led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was allocated ‘mashal’ (flaming torch) as its symbol along with a new name. Supporters of the Uddhav Sena carried a torch to the Shivneri Fort, the birthplace of Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Supporters of the Shinde camp are also happy over its new symbol of ‘sword and shield’, the main weapons of the soldiers of the Maratha king.
Amid the tussle between the Sena factions, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress are going all out to project themselves as
Parties working to resolve the civic issues plaguing the city.
Two delegations of the Congress and NCP met the municipal commissioner on Tuesday, seeking to resolve the civic concerns at the earliest. The Congress’s city chief Arvind Shinde urged the PMC to address problems faced by medical practitioners in the city.
The NCP, on its part, threatened an agitation against the civic administration for its ‘failure’ to improve civic amenities in the city. It also demanded that the civic body allocate Rs 10,000 crore for providing basic facilities to citizens.
A delegation led by senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, will meet Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and request him to provide financial assistance to the PMC for development work.