Mumbai civic polls: Congress looking for potential allies in Ambedkar-led VBA and CPI (M)

Mumbai, Dec 24 (PTI) The Congress remains firm to contest the Mumbai civic polls solo despite an appeal by Shiv Sena (UBT) to reconsider, but the party held deliberations with Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and CPI (M) to explore a potential alliance.

The Congress is also trying to woo like-minded parties, and discussions with Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) are also expected, sources said on Wednesday.

The NCP (SP) and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) are allies of Congress in the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

However, when it became apparent that Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray-led MNS are going to forge an alliance, Congress strategically declared to contest the Mumbai civic polls on its own. "Even though we have announced to contest the civic elections solo (in Mumbai), we are exploring the possibility of an alliance with like-minded parties," a Congress leader said on Wednesday.

He said the screening committee of the party will meet on December 27 and finalise the list of candidates, which is ready.

Nominations for the January 15 elections can be filed between December 23 and 30.

In the 2017 election to elect 227 corporators of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Council (BMC), the Congress won only 31 seats, finishing a distant third after Shiv Sena (undivided) and BJP, which had won 84 and 82 seats, respectively. PTI MR NSK