No decision on Gujarat CM campaigning for civic polls

MUMBAI — It is yet uncertain whether Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)Shiv Sena-republican Party of India (RPI) alliance for the civic polls in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.

When asked whether Modi would campaign, state BJP chief Sudhir Mungantiwar said: “Several BJP leaders will come here and campaign.” But he added that the names have not yet been finalised.

State party leaders point out that all prominent leaders around the country, especially chief ministers of the Bjp-ruled states, would be required to campaign for the party in the five states going to assembly elections from this month-end.

“We shall take a final call on inviting Modi for campaigning in Maharashtra after considering all aspects and his requirement for the assembly elections in five states,” a BJP leader in Mumbai said.

Incidentally, the BJP did not invite Modi to campaign in the 2009 Maharashtra assembly elections though he enjoys a good equation with all the major opposition par- ties.

After the seat-sharing between the BJP-SHIV SENA-RPI was declared on Thursday evening, it is expected that a majority of the 227 civic wards (city constituencies) with a dominant Gujarati speaking population would fall in the BJP’S lap, as in the past.

These include wards in Borivli, Kandivli, Malad, Mulund, Ghatkopar and South Mumbai which could sway in the BJP’S favour with Modi’s mass appeal.

While the BJP is yet to decide on its ‘star campaigner’, ally Shiv Sena’s executive president Uddhav Thackeray announced on Friday night that party chief Bal Thackeray would address at least two election rallies, in Mumbai and Thane each.

Twenty-seven major zilla parishads (district councils) will go to polls on February 7, followed by 10 top municipal corporations on February 16.

Meanwhile, a day after seeking to distance itself from Law Minister Salman Khurshid’s promise to provide nine per cent reservation to backward Muslims in Uttar Pradesh if the party comes to power, the Congress yesterday supported the move.

Party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said the Congress manifesto for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections had promised to provide reservation to minorities on the lines it had done in Andhra Pradesh.

He said the party’s manifesto for Uttar Pradesh elections would contain the promise of increasing sub-quota for minorities in the existing quota for other backward classes (OBCS) from 4.5 per cent already announced by the central government.

“The manifesto for Uttar Pradesh elections is being prepared. We are discussing to increase the percentage and that will be in our manifesto for the elections,” he said.

He said Khurshid called him yesterday and said that the percentage of reservation to be provided to backward Muslims in the OBC quota was being worked out for inclusion in the party’s manifesto.

Alvi had on Friday distanced the party from Khurshid’s sub-quota promise, which has earned the minister a notice from the Election Commission. — IANS