Mumbai civic polls: Does Congress have guts, voters to go solo, asks BJP's Shelar

Mumbai, Nov 15 (PTI) Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Ashish Shelar on Saturday mocked the Congress' statement of fighting the Mumbai civic polls alone and asked if the grand old party had the guts or vote base to take such a decision.

Earlier in the day, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad asked the party's functionaries to "prepare for all 227 seats" and resolve to "unfurl the Congress flag in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation". Gaikwad made the statement in the presence of AICC general secretary Ramesh Chennithala and Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal.

"Does the Congress have the guts to go solo in the BMC elections? Are there any leaders, party workers or even votes left for the Congress?" Shelar asked while speaking to reporters.

"One needs courage to fight elections independently and it remains to be seen whether the Congress possesses it. The Congress' image has been weakened and it lacks the strength to take such a stand," added Shelar, a BJP MLA from the metropolis.

Queried on the Congress announcing that it would fight civic elections without tying up with its MVA and INDI bloc ally Shiv Sena (UBT), Shelar said the Mumbai Congress had traditionally contested civic polls against the Sena.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi was formed late 2019 after the (undivided) Shiv Sena broke its decades-old alliance with the BJP over disagreement on sharing the chief ministership. Uddhav Thackeray allied with the Congress and the (undivided) Sharad Pawar-led NCP to form government, which lasted till June 2022. PTI ND BNM