Mood in Congress to go solo in Maharashtra local body polls to regain lost ground

Mumbai, Jul 6 (PTI) With high-stakes polls to local bodies in Maharashtra due later this year, a large section of Congress wants the party to regain its lost ground by going solo in the evolving political landscape of the state, where the BJP is aggressively expanding its footprint in rural and semi-urban pockets.

The Congress, which once ruled the roost in the state, is currently a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) along with Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), whose new-found bonhomie with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) appears to have triggered unease among rivals and allies alike.

A large number of party leaders feel the Congress should consider adopting a two-pronged approach: contest local elections independently to test its organisational strength and explore post-election alliances if required.

They want the Congress to go solo in many civic bodies while keeping the MVA doors open for post-poll negotiations. But the final decision on this rests with the central leadership.

Senior party functionaries say this model should be adopted and replicated across municipal corporations, municipal councils, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, including in politically-significant urban centres like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Nashik.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations, 248 municipal councils, 32 zilla parishads and 336 panchayat samitis are scheduled later this year or early next year, making it the largest electoral exercise in the state before the next assembly elections to be held in 2029.

Talking to PTI, senior Congress leader Shivajirao Moghe said local body polls are a tool to galvanise grassroots workers.

"All parties feel that they should contest maximum seats to strengthen the grassroots cadre who work hard to get party candidates elected for the assembly and Parliament elections," he said.

The mood within the state unit is that the local polls is not just a civic contest but a litmus test for the party's comeback in Maharashtra.

"We are not ruling out post-poll coalitions with our MVA partners -- Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) -- but Congress needs to regain its lost ground on its own first," a senior Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) leader said when contacted.

The party's state leadership is concerned over the BJP's expanding footprint in rural and semi-urban Maharashtra, particularly after it gained control of key municipal corporations in the 2017-18 elections.

The Congress has suffered jolts recently with its former MLAs and local satraps like Sangram Thopte and Kunal Patil joining the BJP.

Congress leaders believe that a focussed, district-wise campaign anchored in local issues like water management, public health and reservation in civic bodies can help counter BJP's infrastructure-centric narrative, a party leader said.

Senior party leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan told PTI that there is a view especially among Mumbai Congress leaders that the party should contest the local body polls alone.

"The decision in this regard will be taken by the central leadership," he said.

A key strategy meeting is scheduled on July 7 in Mumbai to discuss the roadmap for the party and alliance dynamics for the local body polls.

Sources indicate the party may also decide its political approach for the local body elections in terms of strategy.

AICC in-charge Ramesh Chennithala will meet party legislators and MPs on Monday. Prior to that, he is also scheduled to participate in the political affairs committee meeting of the Mumbai Congress.

State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said after hearing the views of the state leaders in Delhi, Chennithala will meet MPs and legislators on July 7, and later there will be division-wise and district-wise meetings to ascertain the views of the local leadership.

"It is too early to spell out the party's final stand," he said.

Congress leaders from Mumbai Naseem Khan, Bhai Jagtap, Charan Singh Sapra, Suresh Shetty, Amarjit Manhas, Chandrakant Handore, Madhu Chavan have met separately to discuss the prevailing political situation in the metropolis and the city unit Congress affairs.

In a significant move, former minister Rajendra Mulak rejoined the Congress.

Mulak, a prominent figure in Vidarbha politics, faced disciplinary action when he contested the assembly polls as an independent.

The party feels Mulak will bolster the party's prospects in Nagpur and surrounding districts where BJP holds substantial sway.

Mulak's return is being viewed as part of Congress's effort to consolidate local leadership before elections are notified. PTI MR NP GK