Mumbai, Oct 23 (PTI) Mumbai BJP vice-president and former corporator Ravi Raja on Thursday asserted the party-led Mahayuti coalition will win the city civic polls due to its focus on development and claimed
the Congress clout has considerably diminished and it has become a regional player.
Raja, a former Leader of Opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) who joined the BJP in 2024 after spending over 40 years in the Congress, noted development is clearly visible in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Talking to PTI Videos, the BJP leader sought to downplay the coming together of the once-estranged Thackeray cousins, Raj and Uddhav, and insisted a potential alliance between their parties, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (UBT), will not affect Mahayuti's prospects in civic polls.
He stated that development will be a key election issue in Mumbai.
"Development in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai, is visible. Be it Coastal Road, metro rail or other infrastructure upgrades, big projects have been executed in Mumbai under the leadership of CM Fadnavis and the Mahayuti government.
"This has not happened before. People are clear in their mind (on whom to vote). I feel this time, Mahayuti will win a majority in the Mumbai municipal corporation," asserted Raja.
The ruling Mahayuti consists of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP.
Talking about the redevelopment of Dharavi under the BJP-led Mahayuti government, he alleged the Congress and its allies ignored the sprawling slum cluster in Mumbai and its residents for decades.
"The Congress and (undivided) NCP ruled the state together for 15 years (1999-2014). Why there was no development then? If you see the MLAs and MPs from Dharavi in the last 50 years, they all were from same parties. The current Congress MLA does not want Dharavi's redevelopment. If Dharavi had been redeveloped in 15 years, the Congress would not have its MLA today. So, the Congress deliberately did not develop Dharavi," he alleged.
Now that the Mahayuti government is redeveloping Dharavi and fulfilling demands of its people, the Congress is getting "stomach ache", Raja remarked.
"When the Shiv Sena (UBT) was heading the (MVA) government for 2.5 years (2019-2022), tenders were floated (for Dharavi redevelopment), but who stopped them (from implementing the project)? So, who is against development?" he asked.
Reacting to "Marathi vs non-Marathi issue" being raked up before the civic polls, the BJP leader maintained some political parties are eyeing Marathi votes, but such electors will not fall prey to their designs.
"Marathi people know who can bring development (in Mumbai). Those who ruled (BMC) for 25 years know how much development work they have done," he said, taking a jibe at the Shiv Sena (UBT).
"Scams" of those 25 years will be exposed and they will also be an election issue, the BJP leader averred.
Raja insisted the BJP believes in taking everybody along.
"The Marathi-non-Marathi issue is raised only during election time and then nobody talks about it for five years. But the BJP-led government has been taking everyone along. You know (PM Narendra) Modi Ji's 'mantra' Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (everyone's support, everyone's development). So, we are taking everyone along and developing Mumbai. Development will be the key poll issue," he emphasised.
Asked about the functioning of the Congress where he spent around 44 years, Raja painted a grim picture of the party, which was once a formidable political force in Maharashtra.
"I think they are no longer a serious political player. The Congress is nowhere visible in Mumbai after the (2024) Assembly polls. I think in municipal elections, they will come fifth (in the metropolis)," he predicted.
Raja, who was a Mumbai corporator for 25 years and LoP in the BMC for five years, claimed the Congress does not have a vision for itself.
"Look, in the 2017 polls, they got 31 seats (in 227-ward BMC), and in many places, they didn't even field candidates. So, I think the Congress is not a serious player (in civic polls)," the BJP leader claimed.
"Today in Maharashtra, the Congress is becoming a regional party. Where is the Congress as a national party? If they were a national outfit, they would have been first, second, or third why are they fourth or fifth? You can't stop them from coming fifth (in local body polls)," he averred.
Asked about Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray's criticism of condition of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, Raja sought to put blame on the Opposition party, which ruled the BMC for long before its split in 2022.
"I was a BEST committee member for 22 to 23 years. But the (united) Shiv Sena ruled BEST for 25 years when its leader was chairman of the committee. So, they are responsible (for the present condition of BEST). The failure you see in BEST today is because of them," he argued. PTI PS RSY
