Amid Maharashtra civic polls, Congress aims to rework strategy to shed junior partner tag

Mumbai, Dec 29 (PTI) Seeking to shed its image as a junior partner in opposition coalitions, the Congress in Maharashtra has begun reworking its political strategy, with state unit president Harshwardhan Sapkal emphasising organisational autonomy and broader political outreach beyond the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

According to party insiders, the Congress for years has been a key constituent of successive alliances in the state but has often been perceived as playing a secondary role, with major political initiatives driven by stronger regional allies such as the (undivided) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar and later by the Shiv Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray.

This perception, party leaders and observers said, is now being reassessed.

Sapkal's approach does not rule out alliances but seeks to redefine their terms, stressing that electoral partnerships should not come at the cost of organisational authority or ideological clarity, they added.

Rebuilding the Congress' internal strength and expanding its social base have emerged as central to this recalibration, party leaders said, adding that recent political developments have added urgency to this rethink.

Moves by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's Raj Thackeray to signal unity as well as periodic indications of rapprochement between Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar have altered the opposition landscape in Maharashtra.

Amid these shifting equations, Congress leaders fear the party could be marginalised in the MVA, which also includes the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), if it does not assert itself.

Against this backdrop, the Congress has initiated outreach to leaders such as Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha and Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, they said.

These steps are being seen as an effort to expand the party's options and create alternative social and political alignments, they added.

Party leaders said the strategy goes beyond immediate electoral considerations and reflects an attempt to move away from personality-centric politics towards a more institutional approach.

For a party long accustomed to operating alongside dominant regional figures, this marks a significant shift, these leaders emphasised.

At the heart of the exercise is an attempt to rebuild a broader social coalition by reaching out to Marathas, OBCs, Dalits and the Muslims, which have shown growing dissatisfaction and a sense of political neglect in recent years, these Congress leaders said.

Congress leaders argue that issues of social justice, secularism, constitutional values and representation have receded from public discourse and there was need for these to be reasserted in order to restore both electoral relevance and political credibility.

While acknowledging that the new approach carries risks and may not yield immediate electoral dividends, party leaders said the Congress is no longer willing to remain a passive participant in larger coalitions.

As Maharashtra heads into another politically fluid phase, the Congress's attempt to reclaim greater political agency and redefine its role in the state is expected to be closely watched, observers said.

Polls to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra will be held on January 15, while votes will be counted the next day.

The run-up has already seen parties crossing the fences that divide the ruling and opposition sides.

The NCP and NCP (SP), headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar, respectively, have sealed an alliance for the upcoming elections to the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic polls.

The NCP and NCP (SP) have been bitter rivals since Ajit Pawar's crossover to the ruling side in July 2023 split the Sharad Pawar-founded party. PTI MR BNM