Mumbai: The municipal corporation elections
in Maharashtra on Thursday will be a turning point in state
politics, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Wednesday.
"The elections will be a turning point. They will see
communal parties like Shiv Sena losing their relevance," he
told reporters at his official residence 'Varsha' here
tonight.
Asked about the response to rallies addressed by the Sena
and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leaders, Chavan said the
crowds won't be translated into votes.
To a query on the war of words between Congress minister
Narayan Rane and NCP's Ajit Pawar, Chavan said the bitterness
expressed by them was a reaction to local incidents and was
not a tectonic shift in relationship between the ruling
alliance partners.
The Chief Minister expressed disappointment over
Samajwadi Party's role in these polls.
"The role of SP is negative. I suspect there may be
underhand understanding between SP and Shiv Sena," he said.
"The SP is dividing the secular vote. The fight in these
polls will be a UPA versus NDA fight," he added.
Chavan said the one crore cash haul in Amravati was party
fund meant for Congress candidates.
"We need to have a more defined way of how party funds
are collected," he said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 22:42