Bhiwandi Secular Front Faces Internal Rift Over Mayoral Claim, Numbers Dip And New Alliances Loom Ahead Of BNCMC Polls

Bhiwandi Secular Front Faces Internal Rift Over Mayoral Claim, Numbers Dip And New Alliances Loom Ahead Of BNCMC Polls

Uncertainty has surfaced within the Congress–NCP (SP)–Samajwadi Party alliance in Bhiwandi as Samajwadi corporators insist on claiming the mayor’s post. Sources say unhappy Congress and NCP members have weakened the front’s strength to 34, below majority. Speculation of fresh political realignments after January 26 has further intensified the civic power struggle.

Danish AzmiUpdated: Saturday, January 24, 2026, 07:33 PM IST
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Even as the Samajwadi Party, Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) announced the formation of the ‘Bhiwandi Secular Front’ to stake claim over the mayoral post in the Bhiwandi–Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC), political uncertainty has begun to surface within the alliance. | File Pic

Bhiwandi: Even as the Samajwadi Party, Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) announced the formation of the ‘Bhiwandi Secular Front’ to stake claim over the mayoral post in the Bhiwandi–Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC), political uncertainty has begun to surface within the alliance.

SP pressure

According to reliable sources, the Samajwadi Party’s six corporators are not fully inclined to go along with Congress and NCP (SP) unless the mayor’s post is allotted to the Samajwadi Party. Sources claim that the SP leadership at the local level is mounting pressure, insisting that the mayor must be from their party, failing which alternative political equations may be explored.

Adding to the uncertainty, there is speculation that Konark Vikas Aghadi, Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi, and the Samajwadi Party may come together to form a separate political bloc. Sources indicate that this possible realignment could take shape after January 26. If this materialises, it could pave the way for a Mahayuti-backed Mayor, as discontent brews within the secular alliance.Sources further reveal that four Congress corporators and four NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) corporators are reportedly unhappy, reducing the effective strength of the so-called secular front. As a result, the alliance’s numbers are believed to have dropped to 34 corporators, well below the majority mark required to comfortably secure the mayoral post.

Azmi post

Fuel was added to the speculation when Farhan Azmi, son of Samajwadi Party Maharashtra president Abu Asim Azmi, posted an Instagram story around 13 hours ago, showing a cross mark over the ‘Secular Front’, triggering intense political chatter across the city. Farhan Azmi, in his post, also referred to the reduced figure of 34 corporators with Congress and NCP (SP), further reinforcing doubts about the alliance’s stability.

At present, despite public claims of unity, the Congress–NCP (SP)–Samajwadi Party Secular Front does not appear to be in a comfortable zone, with internal disagreements, shifting loyalties and parallel negotiations threatening to derail its bid for the mayoral post in the BNCMC.

Political observers believe the next few days—especially post–January 26—will be crucial in determining whether the secular alliance survives or gives way to a new power configuration in Bhiwandi’s civic politics.

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