Union Minister and RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale expressed strong displeasure over what he described as a lack of respect towards his party within the ruling Mahayuti alliance
Ramdas Athawale said that he will not tolerate the insult to RPI(A) workers. File Pic
The Republican Party of India (Athawale) chief and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said his party was excluded from the seat-sharing talks between the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena for the upcoming BMC Election 2026, reported the PTI.
Terming the development a 'betrayal of trust', Athawale expressed strong displeasure over what he described as a lack of respect towards his party within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
On Monday, the BJP and the Shiv Sena announced a seat-sharing arrangement under which the BJP will contest 137 seats and the Shiv Sena 90 seats in the BMC elections.
Athawale said his party had remained loyal to the alliance since its formation and had expected to be included in discussions, as per the PTI.
Attack on our self-respect: Athawale
In a post on social media platform X, Athawale said a meeting to discuss seat-sharing had been scheduled for 4 pm on Monday, but the commitment was not honoured.
“This is not just a waste of time, but an attack on our self-respect,” he said, adding that he would not tolerate the insult to RPI(A) workers ahead of the civic elections.
He further stated that he would fully support whatever decision his party workers take in response to the situation.
RPI(A) to contest 50 seats
Sources within the RPI(A) said the party would go ahead and file nominations in 50 seats for the Mumbai civic polls.
A party source said there was still time for the withdrawal of nominations and that the RPI(A) remained open to an honourable discussion. Until then, the party would contest independently.
NCP to contest separately
Meanwhile, another Mahayuti constituent, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has also decided to contest the BMC elections separately, despite being part of the ruling alliance at the state level.
BJP to contest on 137 seats, Shiv Sena on 90
The BJP will contest on 137 seats while its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will fight on 90 of the 227 municipal wards in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Election, slated to be held on January 15, 2026, party leaders announced on Monday night.
The announcement was made by BJP’s Mumbai head Ameet Satam late on Monday evening. Satam said that the leaders of both the parties will campaign together for the Mahayuti alliance. Satam further said that the Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India (RPI-Athawale) and other allies will be given seats from the BJP and Shiv Sena's share. He also clarified that there is no anger among the allies over seat allocation.
mid-day.com had on December 26 reported that the BJP was keen to contest around 145 seats, as this would put it close to the halfway mark of 114 seats needed to win control of the 227-member Mumbai civic body on its own. BJP had offered around 80 seats and was unwilling to concede any more. However, the seat-sharing has been finalised between the two allies, with the BJP conceding a few seats to the Shinde-led party.
(with PTI inputs)
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