Vote for minicipal election, across 10 cities in Maharashtra today

The elections for the richest civic body in the country - the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or the BMC - are being held across 10 cities in Maharashtra today.

The BMC has an annual budget of more than 20,000 crores. The municipal election is hence a fiercely contested battle.

The Shiv Sena and the BJP together won the last election in 2007. This time, while the ruling Shiv Sena is fighting to retain its bastion, for the first time ever, the Congress is contesting the local election in partnership with Sharad Pawar's party the NCP, with who it runs the state government. Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is pegged as a dark horse and is seen as the likely kingmaker in what many say could be a neck-and-neck contest. 

The high-stakes elections, analysts say, will gauge the mood of voters ahead of the general elections in 2014. Hence most candidates and parties ended up spending much more than the set limit on campaigning. Sources have told NDTV that major political parties like the Congress, the NCP, the Shiva Sena, the BJP and the MNS have spent around Rs. 150 crore on campaigning in Mumbai, Rs. 90 crore in Nagpur, Rs. 60 crore in Pune and Rs. 40 crore in Nashik.       

Yesterday, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the municipal corporation elections will be a "turning point" in state politics.

"The elections will be a turning point. They will see communal parties like Shiv Sena losing their relevance," he told reporters at his official residence 'Varsha'.

Asked about the response to rallies addressed by Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leaders, Mr Chavan said the crowds would not translate into votes.

To a query on the war of words between Congress minister Narayan Rane and NCP's Ajit Pawar, Mr Chavan said the bitterness expressed by them was a reaction to local incidents and was not a tectonic shift in relationship between the ruling alliance partners.

The Chief Minister also expressed disappointment over Samajwadi Party's role in these polls.

"The role of SP is negative. I suspect there may be underhand understanding between SP and Shiv Sena. The SP is dividing the secular vote. The fight in these polls will be a UPA versus NDA fight," he said.

Mr Chavan said the Rs. one crore cash haul in Amravati was party fund meant for Congress candidates.

"We need to have a more defined way of how party funds are collected," he said.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj welcomes Bal Thackeray to his party

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, who parted ways with the Shiv Sena in January 2006, Monday night said he was willing to "walk a hundred steps" for his uncle Balasaheb Thackeray and added that the doors of his party were always open for the Sena founder.

"It hurt me when I left Shiv Sena. I respect Balasaheb and will continue to respect him. I am ready to walk a hundred steps for him, but for Uddhav and his colleagues I will not walk a single step," he said addressing a public meeting at Worli in central Mumbai.

In an interview Bal Thackeray had said that "doors (of the Sena) are open for (Raj)."

Recounting his days in the Sena, Raj said his services were utilised only during the elections.

"I was away from politics from 2001 to 2003. I was thinking of exiting from politics. However, in 2004 I was asked by the Sena chief to get ready for electioneering. Whenever elections were due I was remembered. I was used only for campaigning. There was no responsibility bestowed upon me. My only work was to campaign," he recalled during his speech.

Raj said he was given the responsibility of Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri only because Narayan Rane had left the party.

"It was due to this kind of functioning that I had to quit the party," he added.

Attacking Uddhav, Raj said when a youth was killed in Jaitapur in police firing during a protest, Uddhav flew to Nagpur on the same day but on the next morning he went for wildlife photography at the Kanha national park.

Voicing his support for nuclear plants, he said, "Even in developed countries nuclear plants are being built."

Raj also expressed displeasure at cable network being snapped to disrupt the telecast of his speech allegedly by Shiv Sainiks in adjoining Thane, and said he had never witnessed such type of behaviour by activists of the saffron outfit earlier.