Congress seals alliance with Rashtriya Samaj Paksha for civic and ZP polls in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Dec 24 (PTI) The Congress and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, headed by Dhangar (shepherd) community leader Mahadev Jankar, on Wednesday declared an alliance for the upcoming municipal corporation and Zilla Parishad elections in Maharashtra.

Jankar and State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said their parties are coming together to protect the Constitution and democracy.

Neither of the leaders revealed the seat-sharing arrangement.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations are scheduled for January 15, 2026. The formal schedule of ZP polls is awaited, but elections will take place before January 31 as per the Supreme Court directives.

Sapkal said the Congress is always keen to join hands with like-minded parties.

"Just as we worked together in several areas during the municipal and nagar panchayat elections, the Congress and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha will contest the municipal corporation and Zilla Parishad polls together," he said while addressing a joint press conference with Jankar.

He described Jankar as a strong voice of the Bahujan community. The Congress leader alleged that democracy and the Constitution were being undermined in the country.

"In such a situation, like-minded parties have decided to come together and fight," Sapkal said, adding that although there was no formal alliance announcement during the municipal polls, the two parties had contested together in regions such as Satara, Sangli, Marathwada and Vidarbha.

Jankar said the alliance with the Congress was guided by the ideology of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, and Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

He said the RSP had already joined hands with the Congress on May 31.

Echoing Sapkal, he said saving the Constitution and democracy was more important than the number of seats.

Jankar also praised the opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, calling him a voice for youth, women, tribals and the marginalised.

Responding to a query on Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, led by cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, formally announcing the alliance for civic polls, Sapkal extended best wishes on behalf of the Congress party.

The Congress believes in unity and not division, he said, reiterating that the party will contest the Mumbai civic polls independently in line with workers' sentiments.

Jankar-led RSP has pockets of influence in some districts in western Maharashtra, Vidarbha, and Marathwada regions.

Jankar founded the RSP in 2003. He contested the Madha Lok Sabha seat in the 2009 elections and finished in third place behind the winner, Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party, and Subhash Deshmukh of the BJP.

He also contested a Lok Sabha seat in 2014 from Baramati, where he finished in second place behind the winner, Supriya Sule of the NCP.

He had served as Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, and Fisheries in 2016 in the BJP-led government. PTI MR NSK