NEW DELHI: BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar on Wednesday said several party workers were feeling sidelined after the BJP decided to forge alliances with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Thane, Mumbai and Kalyan for the civic elections. The tie-ups, finalised after prolonged negotiations, have sparked unease among local cadres who had spent years building the party organisation at the booth level. “The BJP has spent the last eight years strengthening its organisation at the booth level. We are not satisfied with the alliance because it did not meet our expectations,” Kelkar told PTI.He added that BJP workers were eager to fight elections and “when they are denied a chance, it naturally becomes an obstacle”. Union minister Ramdas Athawale had also signaled discontent saying his Republican Party of India (Athawale) had been excluded from the BJP–Shiv Sena seat-sharing deal for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, calling it a “betrayal of trust”. “They decided to give seven seats to RPI(A), but there was not a single one from our list… There should have been discussions if there were any problems… Now, we have decided to contest on 38 seats, and we will support the BJP and Shiv Sena on other seats,” he said.Athawale later met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, submitting a list of demands that included 5–6 seats, one MLC post, positions in state corporations and representation in future local body polls.
