Devendra Fadnavis: Won't align with Congress, won't abandon transparency agenda

MUMBAI: The BJP will not have a post-poll understanding with the Congress in the BMC and not abandon the transparency agenda, its plank in the civic polls , Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday.
"We will take along those who come with us, but proceed without those who don't come with us," he said, addressing a rally at the state BJP office.
The rally was held as part of the BJP's Vijay Diwas celebrations in each district headquarters across the country after victories in recent civic polls in Maharashtra and Odisha.
"Let those who want to align with the Congress do so. We won't stop them," Fadnavis said, in an apparent reference to reports that the Shiv Sena was toying with the idea of roping in the Congress to bag the Mumbai mayor's post.
"We (BJP) will go as per our path, taking along those who come with us," he said.
"BJP is a party which fights ideology with ideology. Whether we bag power (in BMC) or not, we will never go with the Congress," the CM said.
Though the Shiv Sena has emerged as the single largest party in the BMC polls winning 87 seats, its estranged ally the BJP pocketed 82 seats.
With the fractured mandate leaving neither the Sena nor the BJP in a position to install its rule in the country's richest civic body on its own, both the parties are exploring various options to cobble up numbers to reach the magic figure of 114 seats in the 227-member city hall.
The Sena's tally rose to 87 on Friday with three Independent corproators extending their support to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
Gadkari warns Shiv Sena, says Congress wants to destabilise government
Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said the Shiv Sena and the BJP should come together and work for the people of Maharashtra after the Maharashtra civic polls.
"The numbers we have now show that the BJP and the Shiv Sena have been given a clear mandate by the people and if both the parties consider the number of seats they have acquired, it would be good if both parties work together. Both chief minister Fandnavis and Uddhav Thackrey must consider this," Gadkari said.
When asked about the reports stating that the some of the Congress leaders have expressed their desire to back the Shiv Sena, Gadkari said, "the Congress wants to destablise the government and that is why they want to support Shiv Sena. Their policy is not oriented towards betterment of Mumbai and its people. BJP and Shiv Sena must remain alert."