Crisis in MVA, Congress to go solo in BMC polls

In a development that came a day after the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led Mahagathbandhan was trounced in the Bihar Assembly polls, the Congress on Saturday announced that the party would go it alone in the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.

Announcing the major decision that virtually plunged the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) into a crisis, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala said: “We will contest all 227 seats independently in the BMC polls. The desire of all our party leaders and workers is that we go it alone in the polls”.

Chennithala did not spell out the actual reason behind the Congress’s decision to contest the BMC polls independently.

However, Mumbai Congress chief President Prof Varsha Gaikwad indirectly spilt the beans that it was Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s decision to include the Raj Thackeray-headed MNS into the MVA that had prompted her party to go it alone in the BMC polls.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray, it may be recalled, had some years ago carried out a vicious campaign against the north-India migrants — especially those from Bihar and UP, settled in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.

“We are a cultured and respected party and cannot align with any outfit that had previously targeted Bihari and north Indian migrants,” Varsha Gaikwad said. Varsha said that the Congress’s alliance with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) remains “intact”. “Only Sharad Pawar can comment on this matter,” she said.

On his part, Sharad Pawar evaded a direct reply about the Congress’s decision to go it alone in the BMC polls but told media persons at Baramati in Pune district: “As per discussions held within the NCP (SP), local leaders will take a call (on forging alliance) during the Nagar Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti polls”.

A couple of days ago, Sr Pawar had said, “The INDIA alliance is solely for the national-level elections. Regarding the upcoming municipal elections in Maharashtra, every party will decide within 8-10 days, through a meeting, whether we will contest together or independently”.

On whether there would be an alliance between NCP (SP) and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP for the Nagar Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti polls, Pawar said: “I don’t know about the talks (between the two factions of the NCP) taking place in any districts. We have the decision to the local leaders”.

In recent weeks, Congress has not been vocal in its views about Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray’s decision to have a tie-up for the BMC polls with the MNS led by his cousin Raj.

The Mallikarjun Kharge-led party was hinting that it would take a call after the Bihar Assembly polls. After the Bihar polls that saw Mahaghatbandan – comprising, among others, the RJD, Congress and the left parties — bag a meagre 35 seats in the 243-member Assembly, the Congress chose to announce its decision to contest the BMC polls independently.

One of the reasons for the Congress’ ekla chalo re move is that it does not rub RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav the wrong way, especially after the Mahaghatbandan’s debacle in the Bihar Assembly polls.

Secondly, the Congress wants to accommodate its party leaders and workers across Mumbai who have been wanting to contest the BMC polls.  If the Congress had entered into a tie-up with the MVA constituents, it would have got a small share of seats and it would not have been able to accommodate all the ticket aspirants within the party ranks.

With the Congress’s decision not to be part of the MVA for the BMC, the MVA comprises Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), including smaller constituents like CPI, CPI (M) and PWP.  The Raj Thackeray-led MNS is a new addition to the MVA. It remains to be seen as to which of the constituents other than the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS will remain in the MVA or whether all the constituents – except the parties led by Uddhav and Raj – will contest the BMC polls alone.

The Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, was ruling the BMC for more than two decades. However, the political equation has changed after the split witnessed in the Shiv Sena in June 2022. There are now two Sena factions –one led by Uddhav and the other by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. 

It may be recalled that the BMC polls held in 2017 had thrown up a hung house. The Shiv Sena had emerged as the single largest party with 84 seats in the 227-member BMC, followed by BJP- 82, Congress- 31, NCP- 9, MNS — 7 and others — 14. During the first two and a half years in power, the Shiv Sena increased its strength to 94 by inducting, among others, seven corporators from the Raj Thackeray-led MNS.

Chennithala did not tell the actual reason behind the Congress’s decision to contest the BMC polls solo