Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday asked his party's workers to get ready to defeat rival Shiv Sena (UBT) in the upcoming civic elections after giving it a body blow in the last year's assembly polls. Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena, rejected speculations of a "cold war" in the BJP-led Mahayuti government and asserted the ruling coalition was focused on development of Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra. Addressing office-bearers of his party, the deputy CM said they along with workers should ensure that benefits of policies and programmes launched by the government in the last two-and-a-half years reach people. Every civic ward should have Shiv Sainiks and a 'shakha' (party branch), he told the gathering. "We gave a shock and body blow (to Shiv Sena-UBT) in the assembly polls and now we have to do the same in the civic polls. The Shiv Sena has to grow," Shinde emphasised. Schedule for the civic polls, including the all-important Brihanmumbai ...