BMC polls: Congress decides to go solo; Uddhav–Raj bonhomie strains MVA

NEW DELHI: The Congress connected Saturday announced that it volition contention the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections alone, a determination confirmed by enactment person Ramesh Chennithala portion speaking to ANI quality agency.“We are each acceptable for the BMC elections. I person travel to be the meeting… Congress has taken a determination to contention the elections alone,” Chennithala said.

The announcement comes amid 1 of the astir striking governmental developments successful Mumbai up of the polls, the increasing proximity betwixt Sena UBT main Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena supremo

Raj Thackeray

.Once bitter rivals, the cousins present look aligned successful their content that losing Mumbai would importantly weaken the broader Thackeray governmental legacy.For Uddhav Thackeray, winning power of the BMC whitethorn beryllium the past large accidental to reassert governmental relevance aft the 2022 divided successful the

Shiv Sena

. For Raj Thackeray, the predetermination is being framed arsenic a conflict to safeguard Marathi identity, with the MNS presenting itself arsenic the custodian of Maharashtra's linguistic and taste character.While nary ceremonial announcement has been made yet, the Sena (UBT) and MNS are expected to state their confederation for the BMC polls adjacent week.

Notably, the Congress is portion of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) confederation successful Maharashtra, alongside Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist

Congress Party

(NCP - SP).In the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the MVA suffered a large setback, losing heavy to the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured a landslide victory.Polling for BMC's 29 municipal corporations, 32 zilla parishads and 336 panchayat samitis volition beryllium held connected January 15, with results to beryllium declared the pursuing time connected January 16.