BJP picked Ritu Tawde as Mumbai mayor due to Marathi backing for Sena (UBT) and MNS: Raut
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed the BJP was forced to choose a Marathi mayor for Mumbai due to the overwhelming support of Marathi people to his party and the MNS in the BMC polls.
Speaking to reporters, Raut also took a dig at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh after actor Salman Khan was seen interacting with its chief Mohan Bhagwat here on Saturday at an event to mark the RSS's centenary.
"Was it a welcome for Bollywood star Salman Khan or (a message that) Muslims are also welcome in the Sangh and its shakhas?" the Rajya Sabha member asked.
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Bhagwat should have clarified about it because of the way Hindu-Muslim hatred and vindictive propaganda is being spread and the Sangh is also part of it, he charged.
On the BJP fielding Ritu Tawde (53) for the Mumbai mayor's post, Raut said she is originally from the Congress. The BJP does not have anything original of its own, he claimed.
"The way Marathi people overwhelmingly voted for the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, the BJP had to make a Marathi mayor in Mumbai," he stated.
Tawde is all set to become Mumbai's mayor and the party's first in four decades after Sena (UBT) decided against fielding a challenger, making the contest unopposed and ending the Thackeray family’s 25-year dominance over the richest civic body.
The Mumbai mayoral election is scheduled for February 11, which is the last day to withdraw the nominations.
The Sena (UBT) had raised the emotive "Marathi identity" plank in last month's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, where the party had allied with MNS. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 227-member BMC by bagging 89 seats, while its ally Shiv Sena won 29 seats.
In the Opposition camp, the Sena (UBT) secured 65 seats, while its allies, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) won six and one seat, respectively.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
