Mumbai, May 18 (IANS): The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J.P. Nadda's assertions saying the next Mumbai Mayor will be from his party, here on Thursday.
At a party workers' meeting here on Wednesday, Nadda attacked the MVA saying its two-and-half year rule was marked with corruption and inefficiency.
"However, the new government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has brought the growth engine back on the track in the state," said Nadda.
Towards this aim, he called upon the party to work with full strength to ensure that the next BMC Mayor is from the BJP.
Nadda's comments evoked sharp reactions from the MVA allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) as the elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation will be a trailer for the upcoming Lok Sabha and later Assembly polls, both scheduled in 2024.
State Congress President Nana Patole said that Nadda has no value in his own party and he couldn't even save it from the drubbing received in Karnataka last week.
"It's strange that the National President of the BJP should be talking about city Mayor elections... It seems next he will be deciding who will be Village Panchayat Sarpanchs," said Patole.
NCP National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that to get its Mayor, the BJP should first hold and contest the BMC elections, but they are avoiding it as they will lose.
"An internal survey of BJP has shown that if polls are held now, they will lose as getting Shinde on board has not gained them any voters, and instead they have lost their credibility after orchestrating the political coup (June 2022)," said Crasto.
Sena (UBT) Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut dismissed the BJP President's predictions saying that "wherever Nadda goes, his party loses the elections... The latest example is Karnataka where he had campaigned".
Taking a swipe at Shinde-Fadnavis, Patole reminded that "now the winds of change are blowing" and the BJP cannot win elections with 'gaddaars' (traitors) henceforth.
In a jibe at the state unit, Crasto said apparently they have not enlightened Nadda of the party's unacceptance by the Mumbai-Maharashtra voters and are trying to create a 'fake narrative' that everything is fine and they are confident of going to the polls.
Raut said that Nadda is welcome in Mumbai and Maharashtra as that would ensure the BJP's defeat here in the next elections, starting with BMC - the country's biggest and richest civic body.