Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 16 : Amid the ongoing counting of the 227 wards of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC asserted confidence in the Mahayuti's victory in the Maharashtra civic body elections.
The exit polls have predicted a victory for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, with the Thackeray brothers finishing second and Congress and its allies failing to put up a strong show.
Speaking to ANI on Friday, Shaina called the exit polls a "trailer" and hailed the developmental progress made by the ruling alliance in the state.
"The exit polls are just a trailer; the results will be out in 2 hours. The public has decided the mandate for 29 Municipal Corporations on the basis of development and Eknath Shinde's work of progress...," she elated.
Responding to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray's allegations of electoral malpractices, including the alleged removal of the indelible ink, alleged uninformed use of the voting machine, PADU (Printing Auxiliary Display Unit), Shaina questioned the opposition party's repetitive accusations, asking Thackeray to "change his script."
"Udhhav Thackeray should change his script writer and find some other excuse... The verdict of loss and win is decided by the public. The message is that the opportunity belongs to those who work on the ground, and those who work from home are made to stay at home...," She stated.
She further highlighted Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's efforts made in the state, condemning Shiv Sena (UBT) for failing to develop the state.
"In 25 years, they couldn't do anything. However, our DCM, Eknath Shinde, addressed pothole issues in two phases. He put 26 corrupt contractors in jail as well. The previous government could not even provide sewage treatment plants; we provided 7 of them in a timely manner. In terms of development, we provided 5000 electric buses, 435 km of metro connectivity, and environmentally friendly initiatives," she stated.
She further said that the Thackeray brothers, who formed an alliance for the BMC elections, should "work from home and stay at home," reiterating Mahayuti's victory.
"For those who think that work can be done while sitting at home, this time is for politics and performance, not for earning votes solely on the surname. Our leader, Eknath Shinde, remained dedicated to the common men and worked for them, thereby earning their trust, which the other faction could not," she stated.
Counting for more than 200 Municipal wards of the Birhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started at 10 AM on Friday. The elections for India's richest corporation were held after a gap of 8 years, with the city set to choose its new mayor from the 227 corporators, who will be elected today.
In the 2017 elections, the undivided Shiv Sena had secured 84 seats out of the total 227. While being in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party at that point, the alliance had secured the halfway mark of 114 seats, with the BJP winning 82 seats. The undivided Nationalist Congress party (NCP) had won 9, while Congress won 31.
The recently concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recorded a voter turnout of 52.94 per cent, according to the data released by the State Election Commissioner (SEC) on Friday.