BJP rose to power by holding Sena’s hand: Shirsat

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Local BJP leaders are currently brimming with enthusiasm. "We know what to say and what not to say. We rose and came to power because of them—so they should also reflect on how they came to power," remarked Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat on Wednesday, in a pointed jibe.

“Such arrogance is not good. No one can win without mutual cooperation. At the local level, an alliance is necessary—that’s the Shiv Sena’s policy. But those who believe there should be no alliance should convey that directly to their party leaders, instead of making public statements that influence voters,” Shirsat further advised BJP leaders.

This back-and-forth began when BJP leaders initially taunted the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, prompting a sharp response accusing BJP of arrogance. The situation escalated when BJP criticised the Shinde Sena by referencing its weak standing similar to that of 1988, leading to Shirsat targeting BJP in his Wednesday remarks.

Who is the big brother? Time will decide…

During elections, parties conduct internal surveys. Many such surveys were carried out during the assembly elections, but around 80 percent of them turned out to be inaccurate. Building political strategies solely on these surveys is not advisable. Still, surveys help assess a party’s current standing. As for the upcoming municipal elections, the question of who will be the "big brother" and who the "junior brother" is yet to be decided. “It’s too early to determine that now. If we declare it prematurely, it might lead to disputes,” said Shirsat.

He added, “The current survey is preliminary. Once it becomes clear who will contest where and how, a more meaningful survey will be conducted. At this stage, it's just speculation—it shouldn't be assumed that things will unfold exactly as the survey predicts.”

Regarding Mumbai's civic body, he asserted, “Our saffron flag must fly high over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Who the big brother is—that will be decided during the elections.”

On the Vedanta project controversy, Shirsat said, “For me, that issue is closed. Some people are still digging into it—they can do whatever they want now.”