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Signalling further cracks in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, senior Congress leader Milind Deora on Wednesday slammed alliance partner Shiv Sena. Calling the move of delimitation of wards in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) “unconstitutional, undemocratic and against alliance dharma”, he has now written to Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde to scrap these delimitations altogether.
Terming the intention of the Shiv Sena “malicious”, he said the Congress will fight this to the end. The open criticism of Sena comes a day after Maharashtra Congress called the Uddhav Thackeray-led party’s decision to back Draupadi Murmu for the President’s post “unfathomable”.
“Mumbai municipal corporation is one of the richest civic bodies in the country. But look at the situation in Mumbai at present. There are potholes, there is flooding. Every Mumbaikar wants good governance. But many people don’t even know who their mayor is. Everyone deserves a better Mumbai,” he said in an exclusive interview with CNN-News18.
The delimitation process for the BMC (also known as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, or MCGM) was carried out to benefit only one particular party, alleged Deora. “We have been raising this issue time and again. We have also gone to court with it. This party did it to serve only their interest,” he said. When asked about which party he was referring to, he said it was the Shiv Sena.
“The Shiv Sena worked against its alliance dharma. Wards have been manipulated to benefit one party. Of course the intent is malicious,” Deora said.
In his letter to chief minister Eknath Shinde, he wrote, “In the case of the Congress party, MCGM maliciously redrew boundaries of 20 out of 30 wards won by Congress Municipal Councillors in 2017. This appears to have been done to severely disadvantage Congress. One of these wards includes that of Shri Ravi Raja, Leader of Opposition. Moreover, in May 2022, the gender reservation was carried out in a similarly arbitrary way to ensure that 21 out of 30 sitting Congress Municipal Councillor wards got reserved for women. Several Congress Municipal Councillors are appealing these decisions in court. Many believe that the process followed was opaque and against the spirit of democratic principles and free and fair elections.”
When asked why the Congress was taking up this fight against its own alliance partner, he said that the party should fight for its own space. “We can’t be mute spectators while someone runs roughshod over us in the name of alliance dharma. My duty is to fight on behalf of Congress. Wards were redrawn to serve only one party. And that needs to change.”
In his letter to Shinde, Deora has also written, “In order to increase the number of wards from 227 to 236, a fresh population census must be carried out first. However, MCGM’s delimitation and demarcation exercise was carried out ignoring even the 2011 census, which I am sure you will agree is unwarranted and unjustified. I would urge you to scrap MCGM’s current delimitation, demarcation and reservation and re-initiate the process in a transparent manner. In the interest of fairness, it should be carried out by an independent committee and not by MCGM’s Administrator.”
Moreover, he said, in May 2022, the gender reservation was carried out in a similarly arbitrary way to ensure that 21 out of 30 sitting Congress municipal councillor wards got reserved for women. “Several Congress Municipal Councillors are appealing these decisions in court. Many believe that the process followed was opaque and against the spirit of democratic principles and free and fair elections. In order to increase the number of wards from 227 to 236, a fresh population census must be carried out first. However, MCGM’s delimitation and demarcation exercise was carried out ignoring even the 2011 census, which I am sure you will agree is unwarranted and unjustified,” read the letter.
Calling the entire process of delimitation of wards opaque, he told CNN-News18 that Shiv Sena had been in power in BMC for over three decades. “Don’t do this in an unfair manner that suits your interest. The rights of an ordinary Mumbaikar are being taken away,” he said.
He added that the Congress will take this fight to the streets.
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