Maharashtra Opposition Alliance Prepares for Civic Polls: MVA Denies MNS Inclusion Proposal

Mumbai:

The Maha Vikas Aghadi, Maharashtra's opposition alliance, conducted a significant coordination meeting in Mumbai on Monday. The focus was on enhancing district-level planning and improving decision-making processes across all alliance partners. Representatives from Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Shiv Sena (UBT) announced that local-level structures are being activated to eliminate friction and ensure a unified campaign approach.

When questioned about potential inclusion of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in the MVA, leaders from all three constituent parties confirmed they have not received any formal proposal from Raj Thackeray's party.

As elections approach, Shashikant Shinde, NCP(SP) state president, revealed that the alliance has begun organizing meetings throughout Maharashtra to refine strategy and prevent conflicts over seat-sharing. He reaffirmed that no proposal has been received from the MNS.

Congress leader Harshvardhan Sapkal supported this position, adding that Congress had reviewed coordination at division and district levels and plans to meet again on November 19 to evaluate progress. Alliance leaders emphasized that Monday's discussions were exclusively about municipal elections and protecting the "electoral process."

Anil Parab, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, clarified that the meeting focused solely on civic polls, with each party appointing a coordinator to resolve any issues that might emerge at the local level.

In Kolhapur, an unusual development has occurred where the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP have formed an alliance for the Chandgad Nagar Parishad elections under the name Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi.

According to local leaders, this move received Sharad Pawar's support after the BJP reportedly failed to initiate alliance discussions.

BJP has dismissed this collaboration as a sign of weakness. NCP leaders have indicated that similar local-level arrangements might be considered elsewhere if necessary.

Shashikant Shinde described the Kolhapur development as an "exception," explaining that district chiefs have been granted flexibility in decision-making, with the only restriction being alliances with the BJP.

He added that discussions are underway in other districts to explore tactical cooperation between NCP factions, while emphasizing that the MVA will contest "strongly and cohesively" throughout Maharashtra.