BJP’s Shelar tries to woo rebel MNS corporators

The suspense and machinations over the loyalists of the six rebel Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporators in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) continued for the second day over drama after party leader Sandeep Deshpande claimed that four corporators want to come back to the party.

According to highlyplaced sources from the Shiv Sena, the presence of Ashish Shelar, city president of Bharatiya Janata Party with MNS leader Nitin Sardesai to woo MNS corporators at ‘Rangsharada’ raised eyebrows in political circles. It has indicated that BJP wants to uproot the power of Shiv Sena from the BMC.

According to sources, four out of the six rebel MNS corporators are keen on returning to the MNS-fold. Senior MNS leaders Nitin Sardesai and Sandip Dalvi had met the four rebel MNS corporators at an outlet “Coffee By Di Bella”.

Deshpande, on the other hand, vowed to ensure that the six rebels who ditched the party for Sena are left entangled in legal tangle.

The source claimed that Ashish Shelar was present at Rangsharada hall along with Sardesai where husband of rebel corporator Harshala More was brought for discussions.

The sources said, he was pressurised to come back to MNS. However, he refused to do it and told them he would not betray Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

Meanwhile, the MNS has issued a whip to the six rebels —Dr Archana Bhalerao, Parmeshwar Kadam, Ashwini Matekar, Dilip Lande,Harshala More, Dattaram Narvankar, along with the lone MNS corporator

Sanjay Turde. The whip has asked them to abide by the directives on not to vote in BMC’s standing committee and other committee meetings until further instructions issued by MNS president Raj Thackeray.

Sources said that since the defection is of more than two-thirds and does not violate the anti-defection law, the MNS whip is intriguing. The MNS in its whip (directive) to the rebels warns them of strict action if they fail to disobey the whip and cast their vote.

The action will be taken as per the provisions of the Maharashtra Local Authorities Disqualification of Membership Act, 1986 and 1987. The MNS on October 13 had written to the Konkan Divisional Commissioner urging the latter not to recognise the group being formed by the six party’s rebel corporators.