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Mumbai: There was
jubilance, disappointment and confidence in different political
camps as the results of elecctions to the 10 municipal
corporations in Maharashtra were declared here Friday.
While there were long faces in the Congress and disappointment in
the Republican Party of India, there was jubilance in the Shiv
Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party camps.
On the other hand, there was absolute confidence in the
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena camp, which has now set its eyes on the
state assembly elections of 2014.
Giving the full credit for the party's performance to Shiv Sena
chief Bal Thackeray, a relaxed Uddhav Thackeray said the mood was
celebratory in the party.
"I don't want to comment on who said what, I want to celebrate...
We have done it again, we have won..." Uddhav told media persons
outside the Shiv Sena Bhavan where he was engulfed by jubilant
partymen.
"Earlier, they (Congress-NCP) used to contest separately, this
time they were in alliance, yet we have won," Uddhav said on the
party's fourth consecutive win over the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation, the country's richest and biggest civic body.
He declined to comment on Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's
predictions that the Shiv Sena would be wiped out after the 2012
civic polls.
"We shall not let down the people of Mumbai for their faith in
us... We shall transform Mumbai," he assured.
Admitting that he was "dissatisfied" with his party's performance,
RPI chief Ramdas Athawale sought to console himself by claiming
that the people have accepted the Grand Alliance of 'Shiv
Shakti-Bhim Shakti' which succeeded in keeping the Congress-NCP
out of power in some of the important municipal corporations.
"We have worked very hard for this. We convinced the Ambedkarites
to vote for our Grand Alliance as we believed in 90 percent
performance and 10 percent politics, and people have reposed their
faith in us," Athawale said shortly after the results.
He promised to conduct an introspection on why RPI candidates
failed to perform as per expectations and rectify mistakes,
besides reviewing the support extended by the SS-BJP to RPI
candidates.
In contrast, a beaming and smiling Raj Thackeray expressed
satisfaction over the six-year old MNS's performance in Mumbai,
Pune and other cities, especially Nashik where it has bagged the
civic body.
However, he kept his cards close to the chest when asked whether
his party would support the SS-BJP in the crucial mayoral
elections
"We have not yet decided on that stage, we will consider it
later," he told media-persons.
Asked about the MNS's future role, Raj smilingly remarked: "You
made me a kingmaker, but I wanted to be the king..."
On his party's limited impact in certain pockets in the state, Raj
said that everything cannot be done simultaneously. "We shall go
step by step, and emerge stronger soon," he said hinting at a
major role for MNS in 2014.
Raj also said he would analyse the results at a micro-level and if
needed, make organizational changes to ensure mistakes are not
repeated.
Mumbai Congress President Kripa Shankar Singh, in a terse
statement this evening glumly accepted "the peoples' verdict" in
the civic polls.
"The Congress-NCP was expected to score a victory, but people have
thought otherwise," Singh said. He assured that the Congress would
play the role of a constructive opposition, serve the people and
aim to make Mumbai a world-class city.
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