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Congress to contest BMC election solo, no alliance with Thackeray and Pawar

MUMBAI: In a big blow to Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress party on Saturday announced to contest the Asias largest civic body the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections alone. The voting for the BMC and the other 28 municipal corporations' elections is scheduled on January 15, next year. Maharashtra and Mumbai Congress in charge, and Observer senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala held the review meeting, where the decision to contest the BMC elections alone was taken unanimously. Chennithala said that the Congress will contest the BMC election against the BJP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena as well. He said that the parties having secular and progressive ideologies should come together to save the Constitution. We will prepare our manifesto and present it before the people.We appeal to the people of Mumbai that they should give us an opportunity to run the BMC. We will run it in a better way, Chennithala said. MahaYuti seat sharing formula finalised 150:50:27 for BMC election The election is to take place after the Supreme Court of India asked the State Election Commission to conduct the election, as it has been pending for the last four years. We are thankful for the Supreme Court for its orders. Otherwise, the state government was indirectly ruling all municipal corporations and exploiting them through corruption and scams. It should be stopped now. People want clean and fair governance. And this is the right time to throw these corrupt people. Chennithala alleged that Maharashtra has turned into one of the most corrupt states. He claimed that in the local body polls, people have witnessed how much money was used to allure the voters. There is major corruption in every project and development. Without paying under the table, nothing is progressing in Maharashtra. This is mockery of democracy and devaluation of the Constitution. BJP and its alliance partners will use the same tactics in BMC polls, but we are confident that people of Mumbai will reject the corruption money of the BJP and cast votes in favour of the Congress party.The ruling party is doing the extortion. The corruption word is replaced with the extortion now in Maharashtra, he alleged. BJP and Shiv Sena settle differences, seal seat-sharing pact for BMC polls He also alleged that the present government in Maharashtra is in power due to the Election Commission and its blessing. People must have not voted for them, but the BJP misused the election commission machinery. Therefore, they are less concerned about the people and their rights, opinions and demands.We want people of Maharashtra to teach a lesson to the BJP in these elections, Chennithala said. Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said that the decision of alliance for the 29 municipal corporations with the INDIA alliance will be taken by the local district presidents of the Congress party at the local level. He said that the issues in this election are to protect the Constitution and to raise issues of corruption and law and order. There is contract-driven development in Maharashtra. The drug rackets are busted, but no strict actions are taken against the culprits. The ruling party is protecting its interests at the cost of the development of Maharashtra. The state is suffering a lot. There is a major crime happening every day, but the home minister Devendra Fadnavis is more interested in defending the criminals than punishing them.We have to stop this for the larger interest of the State, Sapkal said. People of Maharashtra will understand the seriousness of these issues and vote against the ruling party in these ongoing local body polls, said Sapkal. Maharashtra CM defends Dy CM Shinde as allegations surface over his involvement in drug racket

20 Dec 2025 9:13 pm