Last Updated:
Athawale claimed a dispute between the BJP and Shiv Sena amid a fierce tussle between the two parties in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and other civic bodies.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale (PTI photo)
Union Minister and Republican Party chief Ramdas Athawale on Sunday said his party should receive at least 12-13 seats in the upcoming Kalyan-Dombivli municipal elections if irreconcilable differences emerge between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena (Shinde).
His remarks came amid a fierce tussle between the BJP and the Shinde Sena in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and other civic bodies, with reports of poaching and defections intensifying between the two parties.
Speaking to reporters, Athawale said the Mahayuti alliance would contest the upcoming Mumbai civic polls in Kalyan-Dombivli despite an alleged dispute between the BJP and Shiv Sena. He said it would be good if the Mahayuti parties come together, but if that does not happen, the BJP should give the Republican Party some seats.
“The Kalyan-Dombivli elections will be contested through the Mahayuti alliance. However, if a rift develops between the BJP and Shiv Sena, and they don’t remain together, the Republican Party should be given a maximum number of seats by the BJP. The BJP has a list of 20 seats, and we should receive 12 or 13 of those seats,” he said.
#WATCH | Kalyan, Maharashtra: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale says, “… The Kalyan-Dombivli elections will be contested through the Mahyuti alliance. However, if a rift develops between the BJP and Shiv Sena, and they don’t remain together, the Republican Party should be given a… pic.twitter.com/oGbDz5X9pf— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2025
Athawale said all four parties of the Mahayuti alliance will come together for the Mumbai civic polls. “There is a dispute between the BJP and the Shiv Sena, but the dispute will be resolved. If the dispute persists, we will go with the BJP, and the BJP should assure us of a share in power,” he added.
BJP vs Shiv Sena
The Kalyan–Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) governs the twin cities of Kalyan and Dombivli in Maharashtra’s Thane district. Dombivli is the home turf of BJP state president Ravindra Chavan, and he has intensified efforts to install a BJP mayor in the KDMC.
As part of this, he has facilitated the defection of several former corporators and office-bearers from the Shinde camp into the BJP, which has created discontent in the Shiv Sena. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde has hinted at an alliance by saying that the mayor in KDMC would belong to the Mahayuti bloc.
However, the BJP has hinted that it is prepared to contest the election independently. BJP leader Dipesh Mhatre, who earlier moved from the Shinde Sena to the Uddhav camp and then to the BJP, said there was a strong demand from BJP workers and office-bearers that the civic polls be contested independently, although a final decision is yet to be announced.
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 07, 2025, 23:33 IST
Read More
