Gadkari ends speculation over alliance with Sena

Bhartiya Janata party’s state president Nitin Gadkari has made it clear that his party’s alliance with the Shiv Sena is intact.

At a meeting of nearly 600 party representatives heading polling booths in north east Mumbai, Gadkari reiterated that the BJP-Sena alliance was beyond the municipal elections.

"This alliance is for Hindutva," he said. "We must ensure that the saffron flag flutters atop the corporation."

The meeting was called by Pramod Shirvalkar, BJP’s district president from Mumbai north-east. On Wednesday, Shirvalkar had said that party workers in his district were not keen on joining hands with the Sena for the forthcoming civic polls and that Friday’s meeting would be used to convey this to the party’s senior leaders.

However, Gadkari slammed Shirvalkar’s move saying that nobody should say or do anything to harm the party. “Leave the decisions regarding seats to the leaders,” Gadkari said.