MUMBAI: Shiv Sena and its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), yesterday signed a pact for the Lok Sabha polls — Sena will contest for 22 seats and the BJP 26.
Uddhav Thackeray, Sena working president, and the BJP president will chalk out a strategy to defeat Congress and the NCP at the state’s Lok Sabha polls.
In Mumbai, the Sena and BJP will contest three constituencies each. The Sena will also contest seats in south Mumbai, Kalyan in Thane and Yavatmal in Vidarbha. The BJP will contest the other three controversial seats in Bhiwandi, Jalgaon and Dhule.
In another development, the Election Commission yesterday accused sitting Congress member of Parliament from Mumbai and acclaimed actor Govinda Ahuja of violating the model code of conduct. He is accused of distributing money to people outside his Mumbai home during the Hindu festival of Holi on Thursday.
State Chief Electoral Officer Debashish Chakrabarty has ordered an inquiry.
He has directed Returning Officer Ashwini Joshi to investigate whether or not Govinda had breached the model code of conduct and to submit a report to Collector Vishwas Patil.
Defending the charges against him, Govinda said distributing money to poor people during the festival has been something he has done for several years. He said the issue was being blown out of proportion. “As part of the rituals, I not only donate money to the poor and needy but also to actors who are financially in bad state,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and the federal agriculture minister expressed a desire to become the prime minister of the country. Speaking to a news channel yesterday, Sharad Pawar said that an opportunity should also be given to a Maharastrian to be the prime minister like the opportunities given to late Narsimha Rao from Andhra Pradesh and Deva Gowda of the Karnataka state.
