Aata election, nantar Shiv Vada Pav stall selection

Shiv Sena postpones allocation of Shiv Vada Pav stalls for fear that party workers who are not allotted stalls could damage the Assembly polls

Shiv Sena postpones allocation of Shiv Vada Pav u00a0stalls for fear that party workers who are not allotted stalls could damage the Assembly polls

With the memories of the party's poor showing in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls fresh in their minds, Shiv Sena leaders wants to steer clear of anything that can harm the party's chances in the Assembly elections.
u00a0
The Sena's ambitious Shiv Vada Pav scheme, which was to launch the party's election campaign, has been put on the back burner after each municipal ward received as many as 4,000 applications for the 125 stalls.

Leaders fearful that party workers who are not allotted the stalls could harm the party's chances in the elections have postponed the launch.

November 24, 2008: Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray launched the Shiv Vada pav at a vada pav sammelan that featured a competition among 27 professional vada-pav makers from Mumbai, Thane and Baramati.

After missing the first two deadlines set up by Sena leadership, the birthday of Sena supremo Bal Thackeray (January 23) and Maharashtra Day (May 1), the project was expected to be fast-tracked before the Assembly elections.

Said Shiv Sena corporator, "There are to be just 125 such stalls across Mumbai and about 3,000 to 4,000 applications have come in from each of the BMC's 24 wards.

Allotting a stall to one individual meant disappointing several others. We can't risk offending anyone before the elections."

Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, however, gave a different reason for his party's delay in allotting the vada pav stalls.
u00a0
"As the code of conduct for the Assembly polls is presently on, we're finding it hard to get land from the BMC. However, we've found a private land owner who wants to help, and expect the project to take off soon," he said.