Mumbai — The Indian National Congress in Maharashtra has decided to contest the impending civic polls independently, refusing to form an alliance with both Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray and its existing coalition partner, Shiv Sena. The announcement, delivered by former Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap, may herald a fresh fracture within the opposition bloc ahead of strategic elections.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Jagtap affirmed that Congress would not ally with Raj Thackeray’s MNS and indicated the party would fight the municipal polls on its own. The decision was reportedly discussed in a meeting chaired by Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala, though the party’s national leadership has yet to issue a formal communiqué. This shift comes in the backdrop of growing concern within the state Congress that close collaboration with MNS could alienate key segments of its voter base, especially north-Indian and minority communities.
The Congress move signals a recalibration of its strategy in Maharashtra, one that diverges from the interests of its two alliance partners. The UBT faction, led by Uddhav Thackeray, has been actively pursuing the inclusion of Raj Thackeray and the MNS in the existing coalition known as the Maha Vikas Aghadi, citing the MNS’s influence in approximately 70 seats in Mumbai’s civic belt. Meanwhile, the state Congress has averred that an alliance with MNS is not on the table, and its leadership emphasises that any pre-poll understanding must be taken up by the central high command.
The MVA, an alliance borne out of the 2019 assembly election and comprising Congress, UBT and Nationalist Congress Party, has already weathered several shocks. The growing divergence over the MNS question now puts fresh strain on the coalition framework. Analysts suggest that Congress’s move may be driven by its strategic focus on the upcoming assembly elections in other states, particularly given MNS’s past record of anti–north Indian and anti-migrant rhetoric. According to one senior state Congress leader: “There are very few in our ranks who want an MNS tie-up. Most feel it will drive away our traditional minority and north-Indian voters.”
On the ground, UBT has learned to accept the possibility of contesting alone, but insists final decisions will be made by the top brass. UBT leader Anand Dubey, responding to Jagtap’s remarks, noted that alliance decisions rest with senior figures such as Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. He cautioned the Congress against challenging UBT’s prerogative, stating: “We are Shiv Sena. In the last election we contested […] and defeated the BJP. We respect our alliance partners but are also ready to contest alone.”
Yet, while the Congress pulls away from both the MNS-UBT axis, the opposition outside the alliance shows signs of convergence on another front: voter-list irregularities. The MNS and UBT, along with Congress and NCP, have jointly voiced concerns about alleged bogus entries and deletions in the electoral rolls ahead of the civic elections. Whether this issue serves as a unifying glue or remains a tactical point of coordination is unclear.
The timing of the Congress decision underscores the delicate balancing act it faces in Maharashtra. With civic elections looming — including the high-stakes poll for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, often described as Asia’s richest municipal body — the party is clearly calculating its seat-sharing prospects and grassroots strength. Congress city leadership has privately told national bosses it is better positioned to personalise its campaign if it fights alone rather than cede key seats in an alliance.
The effect of this decision on the broader INDIA bloc — the alignment that includes Congress and UBT nationally — remains to be seen. With rifts surfacing in multiple states, including Bihar, the Maharashtra development could serve as a precursor to further fragility in the opposition’s collective front. For now, the stakes are elevated: a solo contest by Congress in Maharashtra could reshape power equations in urban civic bodies, realign partner expectations, and test the adaptability of longstanding coalition frameworks.
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