Maharashtra polls: Congress joins hands with Prakash Ambedkar's VBA

Congress and Prakash Ambedkar's VBA have formed a new alliance for Maharashtra's municipal polls. This political shift coincides with the Thackeray brothers and the Pawar factions of the NCP reuniting for the upcoming elections on January 15.

Congress has formed an alliance with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi for the upcoming elections in 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, sources said.

This would mark the first time Congress has joined hands with the VBA, after alliance talks failed during the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The Congress-VBA alliance is likely to be announced today, sources said.

Thackeray Brothers Ally for BMC Polls

The BMC elections, along with 28 other municipal corporations, are witnessing a shift in Maharashtra's alliance politics, with the parties in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) going different routes. The Thackeray brothers, who had been estranged for years, have come together to ally ahead of the upcoming BMC polls on January 15. Even as the ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra dismisses the political relevance of the alliance between UBT Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the Thackeray loyalists are describing the moment as "historic," hoping that Uddhav and Raj Thackeray joining hands would bring the ideology of "son of the soil" or the 'Marathi Manoos' plank to the forefront again.

NCP Factions Reunite in Pune

The Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have decided to reunite ahead of the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation elections. NCP (Sharad Pawar) Spokesperson Ankush Kakade confirmed the alliance and shared that seat-sharing discussions are yet to be held with the party.

"Nationalist Congress Party- Sharadchandra Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party- Ajit Pawar have decided to contest the upcoming Pune municipal elections together... We have a meeting with our other partners this afternoon," NCP-SCP spokesperson Ankush Kakade said. "No discussions have been held on seat sharing. We will talk to Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), and all four parties will sit together to discuss the seat-sharing formula... Ajit Pawar's faction and our faction's ideology are the same," he added.

Mahayuti Finalises Seat-Sharing

Meanwhile, Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Ameet Satam on Saturday said that the Mahayuti has reached a seat-sharing agreement on 207 seats, with the BJP contesting on 128 seats and Shiv Sena on 79. The decision for the remaining 20 seats will be based on candidates, Satam said.

State Election Commission Announces Poll Dates

The State Election Commission in Maharashtra has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Polling will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. (ANI)

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