With BMC elections announced, parties scramble to finalise partners
Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. File Pic
With civic elections announced to be held on January 15 next year, political manoeuvring in Mumbai has shifted into high gear. The BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are close to finalising a Mahayuti pact for the BMC and other civic bodies, but differences remain over the number of seats and leadership roles. At the same time, cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray are also working towards an alliance, though unresolved ward-level negotiations have slowed progress.
Sources said the Shinde-led Shiv Sena is demanding over 100 seats in BMC and wants a leading role in neighbouring corporations. The BJP, however, is reportedly willing to offer around 75 seats and is unwilling to play a junior partner. In a bid to counter the Opposition’s charge that the Mahayuti wants to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra, BJP leaders have asserted that the alliance will win the BMC comfortably and that the next mayor will be a Marathi manoos.
Meanwhile, the BJP has made it clear that Ajit Pawar’s NCP will not be part of the Mahayuti alliance in Mumbai as long as controversial MLA Nawab Malik plays a leading role in the party. As a result, the NCP was not invited for seat-sharing talks. The Ajit Pawar-led faction, however, remains firm on Malik spearheading its Mumbai campaign, further widening the rift.
The BJP has publicly set an ambitious target of winning more than 150 BMC seats, stating that it aims to secure at least 100 seats on its own. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Anil Parab met MNS chief Raj Thackeray at his Dadar residence to iron out seat-sharing differences and finalise a date for announcing alliance.
Raj Thackeray has called a meeting of MNS leaders on Wednesday, to discuss alliance terms and seat distribution, a meeting expected to push negotiations forward. The Congress is unlikely to be part of any alliance for the upcoming civic elections, a development that could significantly alter the future of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
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