Suspense prevails on political ties

Aurangabad: As the AMC election campaigns gain pace, rumours of possible political alliances have intensified. With reservation allocated to 115 wards, both the BJP and the Sena on Monday expressed readiness to contest the elections independently.

The Sena-BJP relationship weakened within the AMC after the former cut ties to form a government with Congress and NCP. The relationship ended in December when Vijay Autade quit as deputy mayor over a proposal to felicitate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The AMC election — set to be held in April — is likely to see intense battles between the Sena and the BJP.

When asked how the Sena plans to face the polls alone, mayor Nandkumar Ghodele said the party is now used to winning. “Even when it was part of the alliance, Sena had to fight on its own capacity,” he said. However, he did not confirm whether Sena will go to polls in alliance with the NCP or the Congress.

The BJP also stayed mum on rumours of a possible alliance. Party’s group leader in AMC and former deputy mayor Pramod Rathod said ward reservation has ensured justice for all.

MIM corporator and former group leader Naser Siddiqui said his party will field candidates for 60 seats and will likely win 40.