MUMBAI, Dec. 16 -- With the State Election Commission on Monday announcing January 15 as the date of the BMC polls, political activity in the city has intensified, with all major parties holding high-level meetings to finalise strategies and chart their campaign plans. The buzzword being flung around this time by almost all the contenders appears to be "development". The Shiv Sena (UBT), which has held power in the BMC for five consecutive terms, said that it remained confident about voters backing its record. "Electoral performance is the true measure of public approval," said Mumbai South-Central MP Anil Desai. "For the last five terms, Mumbaikars have voted for the Shiv Sena (UBT) and accepted the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray." Desai said that the party's work right from the time of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had consistently received public acceptance. He cited development projects such as the Coastal Road, Atal Setu, BDD chawl redevelopment and the Shivshahi housing project for slum dwellers as examples of its contribution. Referring to the last three years when the BMC functioned without elected corporators, he said, "People were extremely frustrated on account of unresolved issues such as garbage management and potholes. They want corporators to represent them." Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Anil Parab claimed that the party had fulfilled all its manifesto promises over the past 25 years and remained committed to doing so in the future. Asked about poll candidates and alliances, he said that discussions were underway with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and expressed hope of a positive outcome. "As for candidates, the party follows its own process for selecting them," he said. The BJP, the party that brought the buzzword 'development' into Maharashtra's political lexicon, reiterated it emphatically. "Development, development and development is only our agenda for this election," said state cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar. "Development will be our party's central poll theme, with the focus on development in urban infrastructure, open spaces, recreation centres, health and education." Responding to questions about the short campaigning period, Shelar said the party had been working continuously at various levels. "Voters have been observing development across the state under the leadership of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, which has helped build trust," he said. When asked about candidate selection, the minister said the BJP had a structured system for candidate selection based on ward reservations. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena also plans to set a narrative focused on development, given its control over portfolios such as urban development and housing along with the chairmanships of MMRDA and MSRDC held by the party chief. "Our manifesto will highlight the infrastructure works completed so far, policies related to slum redevelopment and how we plan to take these efforts forward for a better Mumbai," said Rahul Shewale, former MP. Shewale said that one month was sufficient time to execute the Sena's strategy, as candidates for most wards had already been identified and the list would be announced soon. The MNS has decided to contest the elections on issues related to corruption and Marathi identity. Spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande said the campaign would focus on future development and the "corruption of the last three and a half years" when the BMC was under administrative rule. "In the recent past, we have seen instances of people from outside the state harassing Marathi residents. We want to put an end to such high-handed behaviour," he said. Sources said that the Congress was most likely to contest the BMC elections on its own. Arif Naseem Khan, member of the Congress Working Committee, said, "We have been working on the ground for a long time, and our main focus in this election will be free water for slum dwellers, infrastructure development, health, education and pollution." Khan added that Mumbai's citizens had been facing several unresolved problems for years, many of which had not been adequately addressed by any political party. "We are focusing on these long-pending issues," he said. He stated that like other parties, the Congress had been preparing for the elections for a considerable period. "We have completed the first round of interviews for candidates and our list is almost ready. It will be approved by the senior leadership very soon," he said....