Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 18 : Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday stated firmly that a wide majority of corporators in Mumbai are backing a non-BJP mayor, asserting that the party's "Shiv Sainiks" do not want a BJP candidate to hold the post.
Speaking to the media, Raut said that several new faces among the corporators are vouching for a non-BJP leader.
"Everyone has decided that a BJP mayor should not be allowed. Let's see what happens next. Among the corporators, there are many new faces. They are Shiv Sainiks, and they do not want a BJP mayor. No matter how much they are kept confined, there are many means of communication today; the message can reach somewhere or the other. If it is God's will, a Shiv Sena mayor can be elected... I will tell you a historical truth--no matter how large the majority, it is fickle; it keeps shifting..." he said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also accused Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of acting like a "puppet" of the BJP, questioning whether he would accept a mayor from Amit Shah's party.
"Will Fadnavis accept that a mayor from Amit Shah's party should be elected? Fadnavis is behaving like a puppet," Raut added.
On investments discussed during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Raut expressed scepticism, saying that such announcements rarely materialise, particularly during election periods. "They do go there, but no investment comes in. The investment during election time is different," he said.
Raut further emphasised that the mayor belongs to the Shiv Sena, not the "duplicate" Shiv Sena, criticising the alleged confinement of 29 corporators.
"The state is theirs, yet the corporators are being kept confined. Eknath Shinde, who calls himself "Bhai," is the one who has kept the corporators confined. The mayor belongs to the Shiv Sena, not the duplicate Shiv Sena. That's Amit Shah's army. On Balasaheb's birth centenary, we want and should have a Shiv Sena mayor--we will see to that. But Shinde has handed Mumbai over to the BJP. Confining 29 corporators is strangling Marathi pride. Nobody will care about this except Eknath Shinde," he said.
On the vote division due to Congress, Raut expressed confidence that the party would align with Shiv Sena (UBT) in the future. Calling Congress a "national party," he said, "Congress is a national party; it takes independent decisions. This benefited the BJP, but Congress will be with us in the future. Congratulations to them, they got seats. They have strength in Mumbai. Their seats are with us--for the fight against the BJP," he added.