Six MNS corporators in BMC join Shiv Sena

Six out of seven corporators of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Friday joined the Shiv Sena, giving the party, which rules the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, an edge over the BJP.

With this, Shiv Sena’s strength in the BMC, the country’s richest municipal body, has increased to 90, eight more than that of BJP, a senior Sena leader said.

Of late, relations between the Sena and the BJP, which are in alliance at the Centre and in Maharashtra, have been strained.

MNS corporators Dilip Lande, Archana Bhalerao, Snehal More, Datta Narvankar, Parashuram Kadam and Ashwini Matekar joined the Shiv Sena in presence of its chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Addressing the media after inducting the corporators in the party, Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, in an apparent reference to the fact that the MNS is an offshoot of Shiv Sena, said nobody should accuse the Sena of “poaching” as this was homecoming.

“Poaching took place in Arunachal Pradesh and Goa. Today, it was only ‘Ghar Wapsi,’” he said, adding there was no ulterior motive behind the move.

“They [BJP] must have realised our strength now after seeing what can we do in one day,” Mr. Uddhav Thackeray said.