MUMBAI: A day after BJP announced that it will not have an alliance for the BMC election, the local Congress also made a similar statement distancing itself from the Shiv Sena.
Congress is a junior alliance partner in the Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadi in state government. But the Congress is in opposition in the BMC and struggling to maintain its independent identity in the city for the local BMC election schedule in 2022.
The Congress group leader and leader of opposition in the BMC Ravi Raja’s statement came a day after BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked his party workers to start preparing to win the BMC election and his party will not enter into alliance with other parties.
Congress leaders feel that the BJP will dent on their vote bank specifically the north Indian. A Congress corporator stated that his party and Shiv Sena have different vote banks, so it's obvious that we will not contest the election in the alliance, post-election alliance is possible to keep BJP away from the power.
Ravi Raja said, “Our local workers and block level leaders have the opinion that the Congress party should contest the election on its own without any alliance. We are the national party and have a strong support base in the city. But, the final decision about it will be taken by our party high command and the city president.”
Congress leaders in the BMC admitted that the party is fearing to lose the North Indian vote bank to the BJP due to their alliance with the Shiv Sena. A Congress corporator said, “So the party is trying to distance itself from the Shiv Sena, to boost the morale of party workers and supporters as our vote bank is shrinking.”
BJP party leader in the BMC Vinod Mishra said, “During crucial committee election of the BMC also, Congress claimed they will contest. But in the last movement they withdrew in support of the Shiv Sena. Congress lost their base, as in the last BMC election (2017) we increased our number of elected corporator from 32 to 82, whereas the Congress’s number reduced to 29. We are getting good support from all, including the North Indian.”