Nashik: Even as there has been no official confirmation on whether Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will be included in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), developments in Nashik initially suggested that a decision had already been made in favour of the alliance.
However, after intervention and warnings from state-level Congress leadership, the party reversed its stance and refused to support MNS, creating further confusion.
A joint press conference had earlier announced that MVA partners would contest the upcoming municipal council and nagar panchayat elections together across 11 locations in the district. But now, the question of whether MNS will be part of this alliance remains unresolved.
While Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are reportedly open to including MNS, the Congress has strongly opposed it. Ignoring this uncertainty, MVA leaders in Nashik went ahead and publicly announced MNS’s inclusion, which was initially met with silent consent from local Congress leaders.
However, after state president Harshvardhan Sapkal and senior leader Balasaheb Thorat opposed the move, local Congress representatives backtracked and officially refused to include MNS in the alliance.
Now, all eyes are on how Congress and MNS define their final positions locally. The recent MVA meeting in Nashik was attended by MNS state general secretary Dinkar Patil, UBT Sena’s Vasant Gite, CPI(M)’s D.L. Karad, Tanaji Jaybhave, Congress leaders Rahul Dive and Prof. Dnyaneshwar Gaikwad, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Gajanan Shelar, among others.
“United to Save Democracy”
“We have united with the common goal of making Nashik free from crime, fear, and corruption. The people know what those who claimed to ‘adopt’ the city have actually done in the past eight years. More parties are interested in joining our alliance. Our collective mission is to save democracy," said Dinkar Patil, State General Secretary, MNS.
"We have agreed that the candidate will be chosen based on each party’s strength in a particular ward. It’s up to Congress to decide its course of action. The rest of us will stay united,” Patil added.
“Seeking a Solution Through Dialogue”
“The Congress also wishes to avoid any split in votes that might benefit the BJP or the Mahayuti alliance. However, our party leadership is firmly against including MNS. These differences are ideological, which has caused complications at the local level," said Rahul Dive, leader, Congress.
"While MVA remains strong for the upcoming elections, it currently seems impossible to accommodate MNS within the alliance. We are watching whether senior leaders at the state level can find a resolution.
There is unanimity among us about keeping the BJP out of power. If ideological differences are resolved, the opposition’s strength will undoubtedly increase,” he added.
