With the local body elections in Maharashtra concluded, political parties have shifted focus to the upcoming elections to 29 municipal corporations, scheduled to be held on January 15. These polls, taking place after a gap of nearly eight years, are expected to witness several high-profile political realignments across the state.
One of the most closely watched developments is in Mumbai, where the Thackeray brothers are set to reunite politically. Sources said Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray will contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections together under the “Thackeray” banner. This alliance will see them pitted against the Shiv Sena factions one part of the ruling dispensation and the other in opposition setting the stage for a direct intra-family political contest.
In western Maharashtra, particularly Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, significant churn is underway within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The factions led by Ajit Pawar, which is part of the ruling coalition, and Sharad Pawar, currently in the opposition, are reportedly exploring the possibility of joining hands to wrest control of the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations. Despite being alliance partners at the state level, the BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP are likely to contest against each other in these civic polls.
According to sources, discussions are underway between NCP leaders and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over a possible alliance to counter the BJP in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. Several meetings involving senior leaders from the NCP and MVA have taken place over the past two days.
Meanwhile, Sunil Tatkare is scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday, where he is expected to clarify whether the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP will contest the BMC and other municipal corporation elections independently or as part of an alliance.
Adding to the political buzz, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut announced that the Thackeray brothers will formally declare their alliance on Wednesday. He said seat-sharing talks have been completed and that both leaders are positive about the partnership.
Raut also said he has spoken to Rahul Gandhi, urging the Congress to contest the Mumbai civic polls as part of an alliance rather than going solo.
Separately, the Congress has initiated talks with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) for a possible alliance in the BMC elections. On Sunday, Congress leaders, including AICC secretary U.B. Venkatesh, Mumbai Congress chief spokesperson Sachin Sawant and former minister Aslam Shaikh, held discussions with VBA president Prakash Ambedkar.
Mumbai Congress spokesperson Sureshchandra Rajhans said a three-member committee has been formed to take the talks forward. The committee includes MLA Amin Patel, former MLA Madhu Chavan and Sachin Sawant. Rajhans said the discussions were positive and that further meetings will be held soon.
