Mumbai, Dec 22 Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey on Monday took a swipe at the Congress, calling it a "tourist party" and asserting that it holds little relevance in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, while underlining his party's three-decade-long dominance in Mumbai's civic politics.
His remarks came after the Congress announced that it would contest the BMC elections independently.
Dubey said that while Congress is free to decide whether to contest elections on its own or in alliance with others, it should not forget the role played by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in supporting it during previous elections.
Speaking to IANS, Dubey said, "Congress is an independent party. It is their right to decide who to contest elections with or not. Congress contested 61 seats in Bihar, and everyone has seen how many seats it won. Congress has not been relevant in Haryana, Maharashtra, UP-Bihar for the past 35-40 years. It has also been out of power for many years in states like West Bengal, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu."
"Despite this, we brought Congress into our fold in 2019 and helped it cross the midstream to the shore. But once it reached the shore, Congress leaders became arrogant. In Mumbai, Congress has no existence. Here, it is just a tourist party," he added.
Expressing confidence in Shiv Sena (UBT)'s stronghold over Mumbai politics, Dubey said the party would continue its uninterrupted winning streak in the city's civic elections.
The high-stakes BMC elections are scheduled to be held on January 15, with the results to be declared on January 16.
"For the last 30 years, Shiv Sena has consistently won these elections. When the results are announced on January 16, 2025, it will be shocking. Once again, a Hindu Mayor of Shiv Sena (UBT) will sit in the BMC," he added.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson also said that discussions on a seat-sharing arrangement with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are underway and that an announcement is expected soon.
"Sanjay Raut is in constant touch with Raj Thackeray. Seat-sharing can be finalised at any time. Details on who will contest, from where and how will be announced. The nomination process begins tomorrow and will continue for a week. During this period, many of our candidates will start filing their nominations," he said.
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