The Congress may be officially at loggerheads with the Shiv Sena or the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, but newly-elected Congress corporator from Dindoshi Rajhans Singh wants to join hands with his Sena and MNS rivals for the development of the area. “I will try and solve problems of all citizens and carry out works even if they are recommended by my opponents,” he says.

The 52-year-old corporator from Kurla had faced a major challenge when his party fielded him in the new Dindoshi constituency in western suburbs — he faced the MNS’ Shalini Thackeray and the Sena’s Sunil Prabhu, one of his colleagues in the BMC. “But the opposition was only for election. If the MNS or Sena leaders of Dindoshi come to me with a particular problem or carry out work through my funds, I will not hesitate in resolving them.”

Singh, known as the ‘north Indian corporator’ in the BMC, had posed for cameras along with MNS leader Rajendra Lad after the win, saying, “Raj Saheb helped me win.” He had moved the proposal to do away with the entertainment tax on Bhojpuri movies like those on Marathi and Gujarati movies and plays, which had become a controversy early last year.

“One should always be jovial and light-hearted even when the opponents are castigating you. This is what I have always believed.”

Singh has proved wrong those who said that the Congress could never win the Dindoshi seat, an erstwhile Sena stronghold. “The Sena has only done destructive development. There is no progress in Dindoshi even when its surrounding areas are seeing a major boom... People wanted change and therefore voted for me.”

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