Mumbai: BJP vs BJP vs BJP means garba overload for Borivli’s Gujjus

Ahead of the BMC polls a game of oneupmanship between BJP leaders is playing out in the form of garbamdashthe Gujarati folk dance played during Navratri Garba queen Falguni Pathak noted folk singer Kinjal Dave and the duo of PreetyPinky will perform at three different venues in Borivli West this time but the events have one common thread they have been organised by BJP leaders who apparently do not get along with each otherFalguni Pathak will perform at Navratri festivities organised by Santosh Singh and the event is backed by North Mumbai BJP Member of Parliament Gopal Shetty Local MLA Sunil Rane has roped in Kinjal Davemdashfamous Gujarati singer while the former leader of Opposition Pravin Darekar and his brother Prakash have tuned in PreetyPinky for the nineday Navratri performanceGopal Shetty MP Sunil Rane MLA and Pravin Darekar exMLAThough Shetty and Rane have denied any competition between them within the party their statements over the celebrations suggest otherwise In a veiled attack on Rane Shetty told midday ldquoI am with everyone who needs my support and not with those who do not need my supportrdquoAlso Read Mumbai 22yearold Borivli student loses Rs 96000 to electricity bill fraudWooing Gujarati votersMalad Kandivli Borivli and Daishar have a large Gujaratispeaking population With the BMC elections barely a few months away the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to woo these Gujarati voters from the regionA garba session underway at Mulund in 2019 File picBorivli is traditionally a BJP bastion Expectedly this suburb which used to have two major garba venues including the one backed by Shetty until last year has four this timemdashwith Rane and Darekar joining the bandwagon But while the BJP is making attempts to woo voters through festival celebrations the party and its leaders seem to be dividedLocal karyakartas who requested anonymity admitted that there is a competition within the BJP leadership in celebrating Navratri which starts on September 26Local karyakartas confusedA local party functionary on condition of anonymity told midday ldquoThree top rung leadershellipthree different venues for celebration of Navratri festival Like me many BJP workers are confused which leader to support during this nineday celebrationrdquoldquoEspecially after the unfolding of recent political development the local party leadership is trying to make further inroads into mercantile and other communities through Navratri celebrations in the areas that have been traditionally known as saffron read BJP vote bankBut instead of organising one big celebration the leaders are flexing their muscles to exhibit their strength by organising celebrations at different venues in the same vicinity This not only sends wrong signals to citizens but even leads to factions and split among the local workersrdquo another BJP leader from the region addedRane denied any race among BJP leaders in the region over the Navratri celebrations The MLA said that over the past couple of years he has been organising cultural and festival events like Khel Mohatsav Khadi Mohatsav Balnatya Utsav ldquoI am actively involved in the celebration of events Yes this is my debut in Navratri celebrations at Borivli which is known as the land of dandiyardquo he saidlsquoDumrsquo ki baatLike Shetty Rane too launched a veiled attack on his political rivals ldquoOthers are not directly associated But I am directly involved in the celebration and organising of Navratri Everyone is welcome to organise and celebrate such events Jisme dum hoga wo survive karegardquoDespite repeated attempts Darekar was not available for commentShinde MLA spices up the fightAmid the competition between BJP leaders over Navratri celebrations the Eknath Shinde camp the saffron partyrsquos ally has also taken a plunge into it Spicing up the affairs Shinde camp Shiv Sena MLA Prakash Surve has organised a big event in Borivli during NavratriSurve is an MLA from Magathane Borivli East but has shown keen interest in organising festival celebrations in Borivali West He told midday that his programme is different from others ldquoNavratri organised by others is in open grounds Mine is an indoor celebration It is an AC hall that can accommodate nearly 5000 peoplerdquo he said Asked about the plans by saffron leaders to flex their muscles through the festival route Surve admitted that he is also making an attempt to widen the Shinde camprsquos influence through this festival ldquoEvery political party has the right to expand its base I am organising Navratri to spread the wings of the Shinde camp in this area dominated by their ally BJP I do not see anything wrong in thisrdquo