Mumbai: Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal has asserted that the Congress party’s strength in Mumbai will increase significantly in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and that no party will be able to form the mayor without Congress support. Speaking during the Free Press Journal Dialogue session on Monday, Sapkal shared the party’s electoral strategy, political stance, and views on key issues surrounding local body elections.
Decision to Contest 165 Seats Reflects Renewed Confidence
Sapkal expressed confidence that Congress will perform better than the previous BMC election. He pointed out that after securing a good number of seats in recent Nagar Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, the party has decided to contest 165 seats in the BMC polls. According to him, this decision reflects Congress’s growing confidence and its intent to regain lost political space in Maharashtra’s urban politics. He said the alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (VBA) is part of a broader effort to strengthen Congress’s presence and expand its base beyond traditional vote banks.
Pics | Vijay Gohil
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has expressed confidence that the Congress party will significantly improve its performance in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and emerge as a key force in the formation of the next mayor. Speaking at a 'Free Press Journal Dialogue' session, he said Congress is contesting 165 seats after gaining momentum in recent local body elections. Sapkal accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of polarising voters by raising divisive issues such as Hindu or Marathi mayor instead of addressing civic failures and the deteriorating financial condition of the BMC. He reiterated Congress’s opposition to Hindi imposition and said the ruling alliance has failed to protect Marathi interests, forcing many out of Mumbai due to lack of affordable housing. Sapkal also raised concerns over bogus voters, alleging inaction by the State Election Commission. He ruled out an alliance with UBT, saying Congress aims to expand beyond limited vote banks, and rejected inducting BJP or Shiv Sena rebels, stressing Congress’s independent growth strategy.
No Alliances With AIMIM, NCP or Samajwadi Party
Clarifying the Congress party’s stand, Sapkal said Congress has always stood firmly with the cause of the Marathi people in Maharashtra. He alleged that due to the policies of the Mahayuti government, the “Marathi manus” has been forced out of Mumbai. He argued that if the government was genuinely concerned about Marathi interests, it would have prioritised affordable housing for Marathi families in the city. He also reminded that Congress was the first party to oppose the imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra schools, rejecting claims that it is indifferent to regional identity.
Sapkal further accused the ruling alliance of deteriorating the financial condition of the BMC. He said the BJP and its allies have failed to address basic civic issues and are deliberately shifting public focus away from their administrative shortcomings by raising emotional and identity-based slogans. According to him, debates over whether the mayor should be Marathi, Hindu, or from a particular community are being used purely to polarise voters.
Responding to questions about alleged factionalism within Mumbai Congress, Sapkal dismissed such claims. He clarified that ticket distribution for local body elections was decided at the local level and that he did not interfere in the process. He said the party followed an organisational approach to candidate selection, ensuring representation across areas and communities.
Questions Raised Over Nomination Obstruction and CCTV Gaps
On the campaign front, Sapkal announced that senior leaders including Mohammad Azharuddin, Imran Pratapgadi, and former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot will campaign for Congress in Mumbai. He also expressed disappointment over the VBA’s last-minute decision to not field candidates in 21 seats, stating that the issue could have been resolved earlier. Despite this, he said VBA managed to contest five seats, and Congress will support independent candidates on the remaining seats to counter the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance.
Sapkal clarified that while VBA is a like-minded party, Congress consciously chose not to form alliances with AIMIM, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, or the Samajwadi Party. He said ideological alignment and long-term political vision guided Congress’s alliance decisions.
Addressing concerns over bogus and duplicate voters, Sapkal said it is unfair to expect Congress alone to monitor such irregularities. He stressed that all political parties share the responsibility of ensuring clean voter lists. He accused the State Election Commission (SEC) of failing to effectively implement their own exercises to identify double voters. Recalling recent Nagarparishad and Nagarpanchayat elections, he said Congress workers actively blocked bogus voting by stopping suspicious vehicles and monitoring booths, which helped curb malpractice to some extent. He warned that failure to conduct free and fair elections poses a serious challenge to democracy.
Speaking on the alleged threats by Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and the obstruction of nomination filings by returning officers, Sapkal said he personally wrote to the SEC commissioner. Instead of conducting an inquiry, the authorities asked him for evidence. When he suggested checking CCTV footage, he was informed that footage after 4 pm—when the incident allegedly occurred—was unavailable. He said the issue was then dismissed as a campaign-related matter, raising serious questions about transparency.
Independent Expansion Key to Long-Term Revival, Says Sapkal
Sapkal also alleged that the BJP–Shiv Sena–NCP alliance is indulging in hooliganism at the local level to influence election outcomes. He criticised the candidate selection process of the ruling parties, calling it the worst he has seen. He further claimed that law and order in Maharashtra has deteriorated and squarely blamed the Home Minister for the situation.
Explaining why Congress chose not to ally with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sapkal said such an alliance would have confined Congress to minority- and Dalit-dominated areas. He said Congress wants to represent every section of society and expand its footprint across Mumbai, rather than remain limited to specific pockets.
Concluding the interaction, Sapkal said Congress has contested many elections in alliances in the past and has often shrunk politically as a result. He said the party has now decided to expand independently and aim for maximum seats in the BMC. He expressed confidence that this strategy will strengthen Congress ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. When asked whether Congress would induct rebel or disgruntled leaders from BJP or Shiv Sena, Sapkal firmly rejected the idea, stating that the party does not want to “BJP-ise” Congress by inducting such leaders.
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