Nashik: Ahead of the municipal corporation elections being held after a gap of nearly eight years, both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have intensified preparations to establish their dominance.
The Mahayuti is expected to campaign on the strength of development works and welfare schemes implemented at the national and state levels. On the other hand, the MVA is likely to focus on the government’s failures at various levels and the BJP’s alleged neglect of local civic issues.
With elections scheduled on 15 January for 122 seats across 31 wards of the Nashik Municipal Corporation, political activity has gained momentum. The BJP, Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party have begun the process of interviewing aspirants.
However, confusion persists within the opposition MVA, primarily because the Congress is not ready to include the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) as a fourth ally. Local sources suggest that a compromise may eventually be worked out.
In the previous election, the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s announcement of “adopting” the city proved effective, enabling the BJP to secure an absolute majority. However, over the subsequent five years, citizens have repeatedly questioned what tangible benefits Nashik actually received.
The Shiv Sena, which had contested as a united party last time, is now split into two factions. One faction is part of the ruling alliance, while the other (UBT) is in the opposition MVA. Although a BJP–Shiv Sena alliance is possible, disputes may arise over seat distribution. Shiv Sena (UBT) appears more inclined to align with Raj Thackeray’s MNS rather than strictly adhering to the MVA framework. How this issue is resolved will be crucial.
Another point of interest is how many seats the two major partners in Mahayuti are willing to allocate to the Nationalist Congress Party. Given the limited strength of NCP (SP) and the Congress, whether they contest together or independently is also being closely watched by Nashik residents.
MNS, RPI Organisationally Weak
The organisational strength of Raj Thackeray’s MNS, which had installed its mayor in 2012, has weakened considerably after most of its influential leaders joined other parties. As a result, the party’s fight in this election will largely be for survival.
A similar situation prevails for Ramdas Athawale’s Republican Party of India (RPI), which is allied with the Mahayuti at the Centre and in the state. Whether the Mahayuti allocates it a respectable share of seats, or whether it contests independently and how far it can go on its own, will be key questions in this election.
