Selfie point turns bone of contention
BJP, Sena and other parties vie to take over the project
A day after the famous selfie point was shut down by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande, it has turned into a battleground for political parties. Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Mumbai president Ashish Shelar on Thursday tweeted, “The selfie point in Shivaji Park will be continued by the BJP. Have a great time polishing your selfie skills.” Shelar further claimed that the Ward officer of G north ward (Dadar) Ramakant Biradar has permitted the BJP to continue the selfie point.
Soon after Shelar’s tweet, Deshpande tweeted that the selfie point will be maintained by MNS chief Raj Thackeray. “Rajsaheb’s orders will be followed and the selfie point will be maintained by him. Others don’t have to interfere in the matter.” Also, Sena corporator Vishakha Raut put up a poster near the selfie-point with a message that her party will soon redevelop the project.
Raut had outvoted Deshpande’s wife Swapna who was in the fray for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election. According to sources, the defeat has affected Deshpande and his wife severely as the party also has lost its stronghold in Shivaji Park. Raut claimed that the selfie point will be maintained by her as she is the sitting councillor of Shivaji Park area.
The selfie point in Shivaji Park is the city’s first seasonal themed selfie point which is the brainchild of Deshpande. The MNS leader on Wednesday cited that the photo spot had to shut down since firms that were funding it through Corporate Social Responsibility scheme suddenly refused to finance the project. Deshpande said the point belonged to him and they will continue the project.
Dadar residents who were impressed by the photo spot said that they are only concerned with the selfie point. Pranali Bhatkar, said, “The selfie point was a beautiful place and attracted a lot of youngsters. We just want it back in place and we are least concerned about the political party who is funding it.” Firms like Sigma and Cinemantra had funded the seasonal photo spot which cost them a monthly maintenance of Rs 2 lakh.