Mumbai, Feb 9 (NationPress) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) stated on Monday that with the recent completion of municipal elections and the selection of new Mayors across various regions, the period of administrator-led governance has concluded, paving the way for elected officials to take charge. Nevertheless, it accused the transition of being tainted by accusations of “unethical power grab and degradation of democratic principles”.

In a harsh critique of the BJP, the Thackeray faction in the party’s publication 'Saamana' claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party is poised to appoint Mayors in 10 out of 11 municipal corporations. “With their control over power, finances, and law enforcement, the BJP behaves as if they could install a Mayor anywhere -- even on the Moon or Mars -- while boasting about 'Hindu-Marathi' pride,” it stated.

The editorial pointed out that the manner in which the BJP and its affiliates scramble and invest vast resources into every election, from the Lok Sabha to the Gram Panchayats, is astonishing. “While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urges austerity due to an empty state treasury, why doesn’t he acknowledge the millions being wasted by the BJP and its allies in minor elections? They have led to the total collapse of Maharashtra’s political culture in recent years. Although the mourning for Ajit Pawar's passing might conclude, the shadow over Maharashtra's political ethics shows no sign of dissipating,” it added.

“There are ‘absurd’ and ‘disposable’ individuals in Fadnavis's cabinet who openly declare, ‘I allocate funds based on party affiliation and symbol; if it’s the ‘Mashaal’ symbol, I won’t release a single rupee’. Handling public funds undemocratically is a form of embezzlement. Every elected official has an equal entitlement to government funding, yet the BJP has transformed culture into a cesspool, with Devendra Fadnavis comfortably seated within it,”

According to the editorial, in Mumbai, the BJP chose Ritu Tawade as the Mayoral candidate, claiming this selection of a Marathi face was a tactical decision compelled by the Shiv Sena’s vigorous campaign centered on Marathi identity. Notably, Tawade promptly pledged to expel Bangladeshis from Mumbai. This position raises questions regarding Prime Minister Modi’s sanction, particularly as the national budget continues to allocate substantial financial support to Bangladesh despite ongoing assaults on Hindu temples there. However, in Mira-Bhayandar, the BJP disregarded local demands for a Marathi representative and appointed a non-Marathi Mayor instead.

“The entire Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) unit in Kalyan-Dombivli has reportedly aligned with the Shinde faction. In Nashik, MNS corporators also defected to the Shinde group. Some candidates elected under the ‘Flaming Torch’ (Mashal) symbol have disgracefully joined the Shinde faction or moved to the BJP. The BJP and the Shinde faction have abandoned their ‘Hindutva’ ideology for power, citing attempts to ally with the AIMIM in Malegaon, though this effort ultimately failed,”

the editorial claimed.

According to the Thackeray faction, defectors often rationalize their actions by asserting they must align with the ruling party to secure “development funds” for their areas. However, it contended these justifications are mere hollow excuses for those pursuing contracts and committee positions.

The editorial emphasized that this trend of “political termites” -- representatives defecting before the ink on the election results is even dry -- is alarming.

The Thackeray camp, while extending the “civility” of congratulating the new Mayoral boards, has reiterated that the current political culture in Maharashtra has reached an unprecedented low, describing it as a “gutter” in which the “leadership is now comfortably wading”.