While BJP banks on big guns, Yuva Sena hosts road shows

The BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting all the seats in Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) polls on their own. The parties have entrusted leaders from Mumbai with the responsibility of these polls.

For BJP, all Mumbai party leaders and the state cabinet, including the chief minister have, jumped into the campaign. The Shiv Sena, on the other hand, has entrusted a lot of work to the Yuva Sena, with all its Mumbai office bearers assigned wards to look after in KDMC.

Sena has entrusted a lot of work to the Yuva Sena, with all its Mumbai office bearers assigned wards to look after

This even includes hosting road shows for Aaditya Thackeray and arranging people for Uddhav Thackeray rallies, which are happening every alternate day. There are 122 seats in KDMC and the Sena had contested some 80 seats, while the remaining were with BJP in 2010 elections.

All Mumbai BJP leaders and the state cabinet, including the chief minister, have jumped into the campaign

However, this time with a break in alliance, both parties have the big job of reaching out to people on their own. Especially for the BJP which always had less of an influence here. However, post the assembly polls in 2014, in which BJP won two seats, even the independent MLA supported it.

The BJP now wants to be more influential. Hence the party has sent all of Mumbai BJP's leaders to camp at Dombivli and Kalyan. The whole of BJP unit yesterday was seen arranging crowd for the rallies of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. BJP Mumbai's chief spokesperson Niranjan Shetty admitted that the party is using all Mumbai leaders for the polls.

"We are an organisation. We will need all our strength here and we are using it. Many claim that BJP isn't strong here and we are working hard to prove that we are strong and will win. All our leaders are working very hard," said Shetty. The Shiv Sena too admits that they are all working for the polls.

All Vibhag Adhikaris of Yuva Sena have been asked to go to Kalyan-Dombivli, with each being given one to three wards. "We are working hard for the party's victory here. From organising rallies to conducting door-to-door visits," said Mayur Kamble, Vibhag Adhikari of Yuva Sena Wadala.

In the last three days, Aaditya Thackeray held two road shows and Uddhav Thackeray held a huge rally in Kalyan-Dombivli region. Similarly, all top BJP leaders including Fadnavis, Pankaja Munde and others have held rallies too. Shetty claims that many of BJP's candidates are first-timers and his party has to guide them to win the elections.

The Congress and NCP do not seem to be aggressive, while for NCP the Ganesh Naik faction is holding the ground, and for Congress local leader Sanjay Dutt is holding the camp. Raj Thackeray has also been visiting KDMC once every three days. The BJP, on Tuesday, even organised a Yagna, which is supposed to bring success to them in KDMC polls.