Shiv Sena to begin its poll preparations tomorrow for local bodies

Mumbai, Oct 8 (UNI) With the crucial local bodies elections being held in the next four months, Shiv Sena will begin preparing its poll strategy from tomorrow.

Party's executive president Uddhav Thackeray will chair a review meeting with the party office bearers from different parts of the State. The meeting will take place at 1500 hrs at Rang Sharda auditorium in Bandra, suburban Mumbai, party sources said.

Similarly, given the importance of the Mumbai civic polls scheduled in March next year, party supremo Bal Thackeray will address senior Shiv Sainiks from the metropolis at 1900 hrs. Shiv Sena has been ruling Asia's largest and richest civic body nearly 20 years barring few occasions of a Congress rule by aligning with the RPI.

At the meeting, the Sena partriach is likely to spell out his views on the prevailing political scenario, his party's ties with the BJP which were on the verge of a split last week and the upcoming ICC cricket matches and the possibility of Pakistan playing in Mumbai in case it reaches the finals.

Mr Thackeray, in his editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamna' has blamed State BJP president Nitin Gadkari for trying to sabotage the 22-year-old alliance. Curtains came down on the stand-off between the saffron partners after Shiv Sena has conceded the Chimur seat to the BJP in exchange for the Kalyan-Dombivali assembly constituency.

Mr Bal Thackeray's speech tommorrow assumes significance as he had cancelled his annual customary Dassera rally on October 2. The reason given was that the rally was postponed due to heavy rains.

On November 19, 166 Municipal Councils and two Nagar Panchayats will go to polls. These polls will be followed by 27 Zilla Parishads and 14 Municipal Corporations in early 2007.

Shiv Sena which has seen defections by senior leaders by Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray in the last one year, is facing a herculean task of retaining its strongholds in Mumbai and Thane Municipal Corporations.

The upcoming local bodies elections are sure to alter the political equations in the state including the relations between the ruling Congress and its coalition partner NCP as well the fragile SHiv Sena-BJP alliance, political observers said.

Even the Maharashtra Congress has put its factional feud on the backburner and are putting up a united front in view of the elections as both Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and state Congress president Prabha Rau face a crucial test of their leadership qualities, political analysts said.

Even though the Chimur and Daryapur by-elections have not been announced, Shiv Sena sources said the party chief will spell out his strategy to counter ex-sena man Narayan Rane where his supporters Vijay Waddetiwar and Prakash Bharsakle, respectively, who resigned as sena MLAs will re-contest on congress ticket.

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