6 MNS defectors to make entry, along with Sena, in BMC meet

Almost after three months the six corporators who defected from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to join Shiv Sena in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will make a grand entry with the ruling party on Thursday. They will remain present in the corporation meeting.

As per Sena sources, the new corporators will make a grand entry in the corporation meeting which consist of 227 corporators from all parties. The entry will be with dhol tasha (drums trumpets, other instruments) and saffron colour traditional turbans, basically a shakti pradarshan show of strength.

The poached corporators earlier were unable to attend any of the committee meetings due to the pending decision of Konkan Bhavan divisional commissioner. However, as the municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta announced the decision in favour of these six corporators recently, they can now attend the civic committee meetings.

After the induction of these six corporators, Sena's strength in the civic boday has risen to 93 from 84 seats, with the support of independent corporators. The second largest party Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) who wanted to overpower them in the municipal body. However, before BJP could make their moves, Sena poached in MNS corporators. While the party source added after MNS now Sena is eyeing upon Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporators to join Sena. From 93 the ruling party is planning to take the strength to more than 100 and in upcoming days a major political happening will take place in BMC.

Meanwhile, with just one councillors left behind, the MNS vacates its party office at BMC headquarter's. Sanjay Turde the only corporator also earlier wrote letters to Mayor to become the group leader of the MNS party but gave up after Konkan divisional commissioner approved that the corporators who changed their loyalties belong to Shiv Sena.

While the BJP and MNS party leaders earlier strongly slammed Sena’s move and demanded an inquiry by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) for bribing the corporators to join their party. Also the BJP Member of Parliament (MP) Kirit Somaya had put allegations for political horse-trading against Sena.

The six MNS corporators who defected to Sena were Archana Bhalerao, Parmeshwar Kadam, Ashwini Matekar, Dilip Lande, Harshala More, and Datta Narwankar. Shiv Sena strength increases from 84 to 93 corporators in the BMC