Mumbai: The municipal council results, which gave the Mahayuti a huge advantage and delivered an equally sharp setback to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), point to two clear outcomes. First, apart from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis leading the Mahayuti to a decisive win, the results have consolidated the position of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his Shiv Sena. Second, they have placed the Congress in a commanding position within the MVA at a time when the party had been largely sidelined in preparations for the upcoming municipal corporation elections.
On Monday, the Congress released details of its performance, stating that its candidates won 41 municipal council president posts and secured 1,006 councillor seats across 288 municipal bodies in the state. The party claimed it has emerged as the main opposition force, braving the might of the ruling combine.
According to the Congress, the tally of newly elected municipal presidents includes seven candidates from local fronts supported by the party. Among the 1,006 councillors, 154 were independents backed by the Congress.
On the ruling side, the Mahayuti won 207 municipal president posts, of which 117 went to the BJP, 53 to the Shiv Sena and 37 to the NCP. Bolstered by this performance, Shinde's Shiv Sena is vying for a larger share of seats in the BMC elections.
Thane district is likely to emerge as the nerve centre for the Mahayuti, as the BJP appears unwilling to accommodate a larger share for its ally
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP has also sprung a surprise by winning 37 municipal council president posts. The party registered impressive victories in and around the Pune district and is now reportedly focusing on forging an alliance with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections. Reports suggest that its leaders have also expressed willingness to join hands with the Congress to capture the corporation.
Meanwhile, the BJP has announced that there will be no alliance between it and the NCP for the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations.
If these developments are any indication, the Shinde's Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP could join hands with local leaders from Congress and the NCP (SP), potentially destabilising both the MVA and local BJP units.
However, when the NCP(SP) local unit in Pune spoke of a possible alliance with the other NCP faction, party working president Supriya Sule clarified that there was no official proposal from either side.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has renewed efforts to keep the Congress within the MVA fold. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which has decided to join forces with the Raj Thackeray-led MNS, aims to prevent a split in opposition votes by keeping Congress by its side.
The Congress’s decision to align with Prakash Ambedkar-led Bahujan Vanchit Aghadi (BVA) could further divide opposition votes in Mumbai. The NCP (SP) has favoured an alliance involving the Thackeray brothers to defeat the Mahayuti in the country’s financial capital.
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