KDMC polls: Shiv Sena, BJP lock horns on last day of campaigning

Narendra Modi lookalike Vikas Mahante campaigned for the BJP

The last day of campaigning for Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections yesterday saw a major showdown between friends-turned-foes BJP and Shiv Sena. Uddhav Thackeray, for the first time directly threatened to withdraw from the government, if the BJP didn't stop its ‘mischief,' while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called Shiv Sena ‘a naatak company'.

Meanwhile, Guardian Minister for Thane Eknath Shinde, of the Shiv Sena, presented his resignation to Thackeray at a rally in Kalyan. Shinde said, "When the police and corporation, both under the BJP, are harassing our candidates and corporators via false cases and notices, I cannot keep quiet and hence submitted my resignation."

Not the real deal: Narendra Modi lookalike Vikas Mahante campaigned for the BJP

Thackeray, while refusing to accept the resignation, threatened the government and said, "If the government continues its masti (mischief) then I will withdraw support to it."

At a BJP event in Kalyan (W), the chief minister dismissed Shinde's resignation offer as ‘drama'. "It is because of BJP's ‘goondaism' that he is resigning. They are a naatak company and this resignation is a drama. They are beating our workers, but crying out about our goondaism. During elections, the police is not under me, in spite of me being the CM. It is under Election Commission and I will complain to the EC about their goondaism," said Fadnavis.

CM refutes allegations
Refuting allegations that the BJP was misusing the law and breaking rules, Fadnavis said, "We will follow the rules because we are going to win the elections. It's only our party which is talking about development, about how to make KDMC a smart city. The other party is only indulging in drama."

Further attacking the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis said, "Uddhav said BJP did nothing, Sena did everything. Good he cleared this, because in last 15 years KDMC has deteriorated and for that, Sena is responsible."

About allegations that BJP was supporting Pakistan, Fadnavis said, "You say BJP has an alliance with Pakistan but then tell us who invited Javed Miandad home for food? Forget that Miandad is a Pakistani, and think that he might have been invited for his cricket. But when we allow Ghulam Ali to sing, we become anti-national. Why do you (Shiv Sena) remember anti-Pakistan protests only when there is an election?"

The CM claimed that because of BJP, Shiv Sena won 18 seats in Lok Sabha elections, the moment BJP stepped out during the Assembly polls, the Sena could see where it stood.

Targeting MNS chief
The CM did not even spare MNS chief Raj Thackeray. He said, "Raj says he changed Nashik, but if he had done that, then why was not a single member of his party elected from Nashik in the Assembly?"

"Raj is making a presentation of work he has done in Nashik. But all the work presented by him is done by BJP. Like Uddhav, Raj seems to have turned into a photographer, showing photographs of our work," he added.

BJP changes venue
The CM attended a rally at the same venue where Uddhav Thackeray held one on Thursday. But it seems, as the CM's show was in the afternoon, the BJP couldn't risk a smaller crowd, and thus changed the venue to an AC hall. A BJP leader said, a day before election they couldn't let a comparison be drawn that didn't help them.