6 months ago
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As galore arsenic 32 of the 227 seats successful the Mumbai civic assemblage volition spot a nonstop contention betwixt the BJP-Shiv Sena confederation and the Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, arsenic nary beardown third-front campaigner volition beryllium successful the fray connected these seats.
This concern has arisen arsenic the Congress-Bahujan Vanchit Aghadi (VBA) confederation has not enactment up immoderate candidates successful these seats.
While Mahayuti partners BJP and Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, person formed a squad for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS nether Raj Thackeray person travel unneurotic to “preserve” the Marathi connection and culture.
Sources said the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) faced difficulties successful fielding candidates successful 21 of the 62 seats allotted to it successful Mumbai. Party sources said the VBA chose not to hazard the seats by nominating unsuitable candidates successful immoderate constituencies, portion issues related to incomplete documents cropped up successful others.
Realising the problem, the VBA informed the Congress connected Tuesday (December 30, 2025) greeting that it would contention lone 5 of those seats and allowed the Congress to tract its candidates connected the remaining 16 seats, the sources said.
The Congress has truthful acold announced 143 candidates successful Mumbai. With the VBA contesting 46 seats and six seats allotted to different allies, including Left parties and the Rashtriya Samaj Party, the Congress-led confederation has enactment up candidates successful 195 seats.
This statement leaves 32 seats without a third-front contestant, ensuring nary part of votes. “This concern could payment the Thackerays arsenic anti-BJP votes volition not split,” a elder Sena (UBT) person said, adding that the last representation would look aft the scrutiny of nominations.
Meanwhile, the Congress and the VBA connected Wednesday (December 31, 2025) rejected reports of a imaginable rift wrong the confederation successful Mumbai aft 16 seats from the VBA’s quota allegedly remained uncontested by either party.
“Since the announcement of our alliance, the ruling broadside has been losing ground. There is perfectly nary quality betwixt us. On the contrary, our workers and leaders stay successful changeless connection without immoderate glitch,” Mumbai Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.
The VBA besides dismissed reports of discord implicit seat-sharing. Party spokesperson Siddharth Mokle said ruling parties sponsored specified claims. “The Congress knew good successful beforehand that the VBA would not contention those 16 seats. The Congress took due action, and the world volition go wide to everyone erstwhile the scrutiny of nominations concludes,” helium said.
