20 November,2025 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Sanjeev Shivadekar
(From left) Uddhav and Raj Thackeray at MNS’s annual Deepotsav event in Dadar earlier this year. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
The upcoming BMC elections may turn into a three-cornered contest, with the Congress likely to contest alone and even exploring the possibility of bringing Sharad Pawar's NCP-SP on board.
If Congress goes solo, and whether the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) joins it or not, the equation becomes clear. The battle will be between the BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the Thackeray cousins, and the Congress, with whichever allies it manages to retain.
Congress Mumbai President Varsha Gaikwad and party MLAs met Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Wednesday. After the meeting, Gaikwad indicated that the Congress is considering contesting the civic polls independently.
She said the party cannot be part of any alliance that includes a group attacking non-Marathi-speaking communities. Her comment was a clear reference to Raj Thackeray's MNS, which has almost finalised an alliance with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), a key member of the MVA.
In 2019, to keep the BJP out of power, the Sena (undivided), NCP and Congress came together to form the MVA. Now, with the cousins joining hands to oppose the proposed three-language rule in schools, the MVA faces an internal fracture ahead of the city's most high-stakes election.
If Congress contests alone, Opposition votes will split sharply. This could isolate the Uddhav-Raj alliance and further weaken the MVA.
Adding to the churn, Gaikwad said the Congress is exploring the possibility of tying up with Sharad Pawar's NCP-SP, calling it a natural ally. Pawar has not responded yet, and the political class is awaiting his move.
These developments are expected to make the BMC battle easier for the ruling BJP and Shinde. Both parties are firm on contesting together in Mumbai, regardless of whether the alliances hold in other municipal corporations.
Concerned by Congress's moves, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has repeatedly urged Congress to reconsider.
For nearly twenty-five years, the undivided Shiv Sena and BJP ruled the BMC together. In 2017, they split and contested separately. Sena won eighty-four seats, BJP eighty-two, Congress twenty-nine, NCP nine, and MNS seven.
In 2022, Eknath Shinde split the Shiv Sena and later became the chief minister. More than half of Uddhav Thackeray's corporators then shifted to Shinde's camp. Now, both the BJP and Shinde are pushing to capture one of Asia's richest civic bodies.
For the Thackeray cousins, these polls are critical. Uddhav is weakened by defections, while Raj's party has been losing relevance and sees the election as a chance at revival. Second-rank leaders from both camps have begun early seat-sharing talks for the 227 wards.
227
No. of BMC wards in Mumbai
On Wednesday, Eknath Shinde was expected to attend a function in Mumbai along with Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. Instead, he skipped the event and flew to Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. His sudden visit has triggered speculation about tension within the Mahayuti alliance, especially after Shinde's party complained to Fadnavis on Tuesday about BJP poaching their leaders.
