Local units to take call on civic polls: Desai, We will prefer to contest as MVA but its okay if constituents decide to fight separately, says guardian minister

Aurangabad, Oct 8: Our preference will be to fight the forthcoming Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections together as Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi but local units will take a call on this, said guardian minister Subhash Desai today.

Speaking with Lokmat Group senior editorial staff, Desai said generally in local body elections, there are a large number of aspirants from all parties. Fighting as one unit reduces scope for them to enter the poll arena. If the alliance is forced on them, it does not go down well.

So, let the local branches of the MVA partners sit together and decide whether they want to fight together. It is okay even if they decide to contest independently, the minister said.

Replying to a question, he said the Sena has been ruling in Aurangabad for a long while now and has a large activist base. The machinery is ready for poll. However, they are not opposed to fighting as MVA also. Let them discuss at local level and send a report after which senior leaders will discuss.

When asked if the BJP was getting powerful, Desai quipped, “Let us see how much ‘power’ it actually has or it is trying to fool the people.’’