Alliance decision pending, BJP eyes 105 seats in PMC polls

Pune: The city unit of BJP has started its preparations for going solo in the PMC polls targeting 105 seats though chief minister Devendra Fadnavis claimed that Mahayuti would contest the civic elections as an alliance in most places.Fadnavis held a meeting with the office-bearers of the Pune BJP unit on Thursday after attending a conference of municipal commissioners and CEOs of municipal councils of the state, and discussed issues pertaining to the upcoming civic body polls. "Fadnavis told us to start preparations for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections. In the last polls, BJP won 100 seats. Recently, five former corporators from Shiv Sena (UBT) joined us.So, we are now preparing for 105 seats in Pune," Dheeraj Ghate, the president of BJP's Pune city unit, told TOI.A total of 162 corporators were elected after the last PMC elections. Following the merger of fringe areas into the municipal limits, the number of corporators in PMC will increase to 166 this time. BJP insiders claimed that the party was preparing for 105 seats, indicating that it was inclined to go solo in the PMC polls.Fadnavis had said on Thursday that Mahayuti partners might go solo in isolated civic bodies and a call on the alliance would be taken post-elections in such cases. But he did not specify in which civic bodies there could be a friendly fight.On the possibility of BJP going solo in the PMC polls, Ghate said, "The decision about whether to contest the elections as an alliance or solo will be taken at the state-level by the seniors in Mahayuti. We are preparing ourselves for all the possibilities."One of the members of BJP's Pune city unit said, "Our party is in a stronger position in most of the wards in the PMC. There are many aspirants to contest on the party's ticket and accommodating all of them will be a big task. We had 100 seats last time and five more former corporators of Sena (UBT) joined us. Now, the party is keen to contest all these 105 seats. The party workers are in favour of going solo and have the maximum number of BJP corporators in the PMC after the elections."