Thane: A day after Shiv Sena leader Sharmila Pimpalolkar was elected Thane mayor and BJP’s Krishna Patil took over as her deputy, BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar struck a sharp, no-holds-barred note, declaring that it will act as a vigilant watchdog over the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), despite being part of the ruling alliance.While BJP is a key stakeholder in the Mahayuti-led TMC, Kelkar made it clear that power would not mean silence in the face of any wrongdoing. “BJP remains committed to delivering transparent, corruption-free governance and development in the right direction. We will support good initiatives, but will firmly oppose any wrongdoing. We will keep a hawk’s eye on the functioning of the municipal corporation,” he said.
Kelkar flagged pressing civic issues, particularly the unchecked proliferation of street hawkers, and pointed out how a system meant for a limited number of licensed hawkers spiralled out of control, with roads and footpaths presently being taken over, leaving pedestrians with little space. “Even while being in power, we will act as the people’s watchdog,” he asserted, signalling BJP’s intent of strict civic oversight.Meanwhile, observers said the BJP stand could be a tacit move by the party to indirectly urge the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to consider BJP netas while allocating key portfolios within TMC, most of which incidentally are based on party numbers. Shiv Sena enjoys an absolute majority with 75 of the 131 seats, while BJP is at 28. NCP (SP) has 12 seats plus an independent supporter, while the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP has 9, AIMIM has 5, and Shiv Sena (UBT) has one.“The power-sharing arrangement in the civic body was decided by senior leaders at the state level and implemented in Thane in line with other municipal corporations, and we would expect a fair share of key posts in the corporation,” said Kelkar.
