Nanded: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chalked out a new strategy for the upcoming Nanded Waghala City Municipal Corporation elections by backing candidates of the Marathwada Janhit Party (MJP) in wards where the BJP assesses its winning prospects as weak.
The MJP recently defeated the BJP’s official candidates in the Dharmabad Municipal Council elections and went on to secure control of the council. With the MJP now preparing to contest the Nanded Waghala City Municipal Corporation polls, the BJP is considering an understanding under which it may leave certain difficult seats to the MJP. This move is also being seen as a strategic option at a time when the possibility of an alliance between the BJP and the Shiv Sena appears almost non-existent.
In the Biloli Municipal Council elections, the BJP withdrew its nominations at the last moment, resulting in the MJP’s council president and 14 candidates winning the election. The outcome was described as a severe setback for the BJP, the Nationalist Congress Party, and the Congress. Similarly, four MJP candidates won in the Bhokar Municipal Council elections. Following these results, the MJP leadership has indicated a willingness to align with the BJP in the forthcoming civic polls.
The MJP president recently met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after which it became evident that the party would support the BJP in Nanded during the municipal corporation elections. The MJP is planning to field four candidates in Ward No. 7, an area with a majority Muslim and backward-class population. A former mayor from the BJP has confirmed this development.
