Chennithala says Congress to fight BMC polls solo, ends tie-up speculation with Sena (UBT)

The Congress on Saturday reiterated that the party will contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections independently, ending speculations on a possible alliance between the party and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).

Ramesh Chennithala, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and in-charge of Maharashtra, said, “The Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were fought as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Party workers strongly feel that local body elections should be contested on our own strength. Therefore, we have decided to contest the elections independently.”

The decision was discussed during a meeting of the Mumbai Congress Political Affairs Committee held on Saturday. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Chennithala noted that local body elections have not been held for the past four years. “The elections are finally taking place following orders from the Supreme Court. The state government had no intention of holding elections as they preferred direct control over the municipal corporation and corruption has run rampant in the BMC. Instead of addressing public issues, the BJP-Mahayuti alliance is attempting to disrupt social harmony by instigating Hindu-Muslim communal tension,” he said. Chennithala added that Congress will soon release a dedicated manifesto and a “chargesheet” against the current administration.