"Parties That Have Lost Ground Are...": New Mumbai BJP Chief Targets Thackerays

Newly-appointed Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam hit the ground running, striking an aggressive tone as he took charge of the city unit.

Stressing that development would be at the core of the party's campaign, Mr Satam targeted the Thackeray brothers, took aim at opposition parties for allegedly trying to alter the city's identity, and underplayed the unity within the Mahayuti.

Mr Satam said the coming together of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray was of little significance, arguing that Mumbaikars had witnessed who had delivered in the last 11 years.

"People coming together is not important. Mumbaikars have seen who has worked for them, how the Centre has pumped in money and worked on policies for the city. Development is more important," Mr Satam remarked.

The 49-year-old accused the Mumbai civic body of offering "visionless and non-transparent governance" between 1997 and 2022, promising that the kind of "revolutionary changes" witnessed in the state after 2014 would now be replicated in Mumbai.

"There can be no prosperity without security. As we develop Mumbai, safety will be equally important," he said.

He also warned against what he described as attempts to "change the colour of the city."

"We saw Pakistan flags being raised, Baba Chauhan campaigning, and the Versova pattern being applied. Some parties that have lost ground are trying to change the face and colour of the city by taking help of anti-national elements. We will thwart every such attempt and protect Mumbai," said Mr Satam.

State government programs to be on agenda for BMC

Thanking the BJP leadership for entrusting him with the new responsibility, Mr Satam pledged to "knock on the doors of every Mumbaikar, seek their blessings, and communicate the work already done, coastal road, Navi Mumbai airport, metro, Atal Setu, CCTV, and housing reforms, and ensure a Mahayuti mayor is elected".

All is not well in Mahayuti?

On the question of unity within the ruling alliance, Mr Satam brushed off speculation: "There are no issues in the Mahayuti. We work in tandem with excellent cooperation. These are perceived problems created by the opposition."

That remark, however, comes against the backdrop of a fresh rift between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his Deputy Eknath Shinde. Mr Fadnavis recently expressed displeasure at the Urban Development Department, led by Mr Shinde, for delays in central schemes, especially the Rs 9,000 crore AMRUT 2.0 programme.

Mr Shinde skipped the key review meeting and later offered only a terse response: "Maharashtra is number one."

The Thackeray faction has pounced on the row, demanding Mr Shinde's removal, while Ajit Pawar has maintained silence.

Opposition attacks

The opposition too has sought to needle the BJP. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut pointed to Ashish Shelar's exit as city BJP chief just ahead of elections as a sign of internal churn.

Mr Shelar hit back, urging Mr Raut to first "look at the confusion within the MVA".

Meanwhile, senior BJP leaders have thrown their weight behind Mr Satam.

Devendra Fadnavis described him as an "educated and aggressive MLA with awareness about Mumbai's issues and the will to solve them".

Party leaders expressed confidence that under his leadership, the BJP would set a "new record" in the upcoming civic polls.