BMC elections results: BJP minister in Fadnavis govt hints at reconciliation with Shiv Sena, says let bygones be bygones

With Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections throwing no clear winner as BJP has won 82 seats and Shiv Sena 84, a senior BJP leader on Thursday said both the parties should join hands in Mumbai. 

"Enough of bitterness. Now, it's time to come together again," Chandrakant Patil, a minister in Devendra Fadnavis-led ministry said, indicating that the bickering allies in the state government could come together after today's fractured verdict.

"Is there any other option than the two parties coming together, given the number of seats each one has bagged? Will they (Shiv Sena) take the support of Congress?" said Patil, known to have an excellent rapport with the central BJP leadership.

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"Instead of indulging in unscientific things, like taking Congress along, both the parties should do things which are scientific and come together to govern Mumbai," Patil said. 

"Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray should decide the power-sharing formula. Both are good friends," the minister said. Patil's remarks came even as BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said the party will "introspect" reasons for its performance, which he said was "not as per the expectations".

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"We will introspect and find out reasons for our performance in Mumbai, which was not as per expectations," Bhandari said. BJP leader Vinod Tawde said his party has emerged as the overall leader in elections to 10 municipal corporations and 25 zilla Parishad's held recently. 

"The BJP is the number one party in Maharashtra," Tawde, who is also the state's Education minister, told reporters. "This result is a befitting reply to Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut, who had said the BJP did not have the 'aukat' (ability) to win even 40 seats in the BMC," Tawde said.