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Nitin Gadkari nudges Uddhab Thackeray for BJP-Shiv Sena reunion to take control of BMC

by IBNS 23 Feb 2017, 11:36 pm

Mumbai, Feb 24 (IBNS) : A day after the Brihammumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls threw up a fractured mandate dealing a blow to Shiv Sena's "go alone" policy, senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on Friday sent out a message of reunion to Uddhab Thackeray, saying there is "no option" for his party and Sena than joining hands for control of the Mumbai civic body.

"The situation now is that both parties have no option but to come together again," media reports quoted Gadkari as saying. .

"The final decision on this issue has to be taken by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. Both are mature and I am sure they will take the right decision," he told a television channel. .

In the BMC polls, Sena finished at the top with 84 seats, but far away from the magic figure of 114 required to rule the country's riches civic body, which the party held in stranglehold for 20 years.

Breathing down on the neck of the Sena, BJP bagged 82 seats, the party's best performance ever.

Even when the counting was on and the Sena's hopes for attaining majority continued to elude, Thackeray maintained that the party will not join hands with the BJP, its estranged partner.

Though speaking in favour of a rapprochement between the BJP and Sena, Gadkari said, "If there has to be a friendship with us (BJP), then there has to be a check on the writings in Saamana (Sena mouthpiece). How will there be friendship when Saamana, on a daily basis, writes insulting things about the PM and our party president?" he said.

According to NDTV reports,  Uddhav Thackeray refused to talk on Friday about who will be Mumbai's new mayor as he celebrated his party being number 1 again in the  BMC.

"We are celebrating today. I have not thought of anything right now," the Sena chief said.