Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut says Congress must be part of MVA in Mumbai civic body election | Mumbai News

Mumbai: After the Congress announced that it would go solo in the BMC polls and Shiv Sena (UBT) party president Uddhav Thackeray said it is free to make its decision, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said he would go to Delhi next week and talk to the Congress high command. “Congress must be part of MVA for BMC polls. This is our stand,” Raut said. Raut mentioned that the Sena (UBT) was in discussions with Congress. “If Congress’s confidence increased after the Bihar poll results, then they can fight BMC polls alone, but it is our stand that the MVA must be there and the Congress must be part of this MVA,” Raut stated. Raut also took a dig at the ongoing rumblings between MahaYuti partners Sena and BJP, saying Union home minister Amit Shah would dig the grave of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Last month, in an indication that he was not going to pacify the Congress to remain in MVA for BMC polls, Uddhav had said that Congress was an independent party and free to make its own decision. Uddhav’s comments came a day after Congress said it would contest the BMC poll on its own.“Amit Shah is going to dig Shinde’s grave. Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray met. Raj Thackeray gave a presentation to Uddhav Thackeray. Whatever they are doing is going well. What Eknath Shinde says is not important. Our stand is for Congress to be with us. If Congress has gained confidence after the Bihar election results, then they should fight BMC elections independently. With Raj Thackeray coming along, BJP is going to be defeated. Mumbai’s enemy is BJP. Mumbai is being pushed down the throat of Adani. If we want to stop that, it is necessary to take Raj Thackeray along,” Raut said.“The Gulabo Gang of the Shinde faction has said that Lakshmi Darshan will be done on Dec 1. Now the Election Commission (EC) should take note of this. In some places, Rs 10,000 or Rs 15,000 Lakshmi Darshan is going on for one vote. There has never been such a game of money in municipal elections. These elections were being held at the local level. Now you can see five or six helicopters, private planes, all this. We have left the elections to local workers. People say that the opposition is weak, but that is not the case at all. The electoral culture of this state has been destroyed. In the last four to five years, the culture has been destroyed under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis. Currently, there is a competition between the three ruling parties, each trying to prove ‘you are bigger or I am bigger’,” Raut said.