Team Omie Kalani forms local alliance with Shiv Sena (Shinde Faction) in Ulhasnagar

ULHASNAGAR: Ahead of the upcoming Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) elections, Team Omie Kalani (TOK), a key local party, has entered into an alliance with Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) which is indirectly said to be major setback to BJP at local level. The two parties have described the tie-up as a “Friendship Alliance.”This is not the first time the two sides have joined hands. In the last Lok Sabha elections, TOK extended support to Shiv Sena MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde under a similar alliance, which played a significant role in securing him a strong lead from Ulhasnagar.The alliance was formally announced on Saturday during a joint press conference at Kalani Mahal. Senior local Shiv Sena leaders Rajendra Chaudhary, Bhullar Maharaj, and Arun Ashan were present, while TOK was represented by party president Omie Kalani, Narendra Kumari, Manoj Lassi, spokesperson Kamlesh Nikam and Sumit Chakraborty. Political circles had earlier speculated that TOK—whose 21 corporators had won in the last UMC elections—might align with the BJP. However, after TOK declined to join the BJP, five of its former corporators crossed over to the saffron party. In this backdrop, TOK chief Omie Kalani chose to avoid a BJP tie-up and instead revived the earlier model of collaboration with Shiv Sena at the local level.Omie Kalani emphasized that the alliance with Shiv Sena is built on the lines of their successful Lok Sabha partnership.

On the other hand, Shiv Sena leader Rajendra Chaudhary clarified that while the Sena’s “natural alliance” remains with the BJP, at local level they have made alliance with TOK. “We will act in accordance with the decision of our senior leadership when the UMC elections are announced,” he said.The development has stirred political discussion, as Shiv Sena continues to share power with the BJP at the state and national levels, yet has now allied with TOK, which has traditionally been considered a strong opponent of the BJP in Ulhasnagar.Reacting to the alliance, BJP MLA Kumar Ailani said, “In the upcoming UMC elections, BJP will emerge as the single largest party, and the mayor will be from BJP.”With this alliance, the political battle in Ulhasnagar is set to intensify, as all major parties prepare for a high-stakes contest in the forthcoming civic polls.