MVA plans strategic tie-up or seat adjustment for mini Assembly polls

With significant gains in the bypolls to the local body elections in six districts, the three ruling partners in the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition – Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress – are mulling a strategic tie-up or adjustment of seats in next year’s elections to most civic bodies and district councils.

With significant gains in the bypolls to the local body elections in six districts, the three ruling partners in the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition – Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress – are mulling a strategic tie-up or adjustment of seats in next year’s elections to most civic bodies and district councils.

The development has come after the ruling parties got a sense from these bypolls that the electorate are not completely against them because of the issues related to reservation, OBCs and Marathas, series of allegations of corruption and lockdown due to Covid. (HT PHOTO)

The development has come after the ruling parties got a sense from these bypolls that the electorate are not completely against them because of the issues related to reservation, OBCs and Marathas, series of allegations of corruption and lockdown due to Covid. The bypolls held to fill 85 district council (DC) seats and 144 panchayat samite (PS) seats, which fell vacant after the Supreme Court quashed the OBC quota for want of empirical data in March this year, saw Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffering a setback. The BJP’s tally of DCs dropped to 22 from 31, while three ruling parties – Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress – improved their tally by 10 to 46 seats that fell vacant. Similarly, in PS, too, the Congress emerged to top position by winning 36 seats, while the BJP could win 33. The NCP and Sena won 18 and 23 seats, respectively, from the total 144 seats.

Although the ruling parties fought the elections separately they claimed to have a better coordination at the local level to ensure they do not dent each other beyond a certain a limit. “In Washim, the Congress, NCP and even Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi had an understanding while fighting against the BJP in the bypolls and it worked. We are not going to have an alliance of three parties as it will cost us dear at local level and restrict the expansion of the parties. We have amicably decided that we will fight separately. In some local bodies, two parties will come together, while in some we will have strategic understanding in picking the candidates. Our common target will be to keep the BJP out of power and for it we will do whatever needs to be done,” said a Shiv Sena leader, requesting anonymity.

Following these bypolls, 23 of 27 municipal corporations, 27 of 36 district councils, 300 of 362 nagar panchayats and more than 290 panchayat samitis are scheduled to go to polls in the first half of 2022. The elections are touted as a mini assembly poll and would serve as a testament to the performance of the MVA government. The BJP currently holds the highest number of local bodies in rural as well as rural bodies won during its five-year rule in the state until 2019.

The ruling parties got a morale boost after bypoll results, as it was considered to be a litmus test for them after the OBC quota in these polls was quashed. The Opposition had created a picture that the electorate from the OBC communities is unhappy with the ruling parties and it was their failure to keep the quota intact. The ruling party leaders believe the reservation issue has not gone against them. Besides, the MVA partners were worried over the reaction of voters to issues such as scrapping of Maratha reservation by the apex court, series of allegations of corruption against MVA ministers and continuous lockdown imposed to check the spread of the epidemic.

The three parties want to contest separately where they are strong to deny the BJP more space and also prevent local workers of the parties from going to the BJP.

Congress has already announced to go solo in all forthcoming elections, though the announcement had not gone down well with two other ruling parties. “We are strong in rural areas in district councils and panchayat samitis and have comparatively less presence in urban areas. During the recent bypolls, all three parties gained their ground and will continue to do so in the forthcoming polls too. Our stand is clear, if we contested in alliance of three parties in corporations in Mumbai and Pune, with fewer seats, it will prove detrimental in our bid to expand the party. We have left it to our local units to decide whether they want to join hands with other two parties,” said a Congress leader.

Although the Congress has made up its mind to go solo, the Shiv Sena and NCP are likely to join hands in many municipal corporation elections, including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pune, Nashik and districts of Konkan. In some of the districts like Kolhapur, Washim, Congress and NCP may come together. In these districts, the remaining party may play second fiddle.

“The decision over the alliance will be taken when the elections are declared. It depends on the local equations and situation, and based on the reports we get from our sampark pramukhs and other leaders in-charge of the respective areas. We would definitely want to fight the polls together in major cities in MMR together, but at least the alliance of two of the ruling parties will definitely be possible. We have clarified within the party that there would be not alliance or tacit understanding with the BJP at any cost. The BJP is a common enemy for all three parties,” said Shiv Sena leader Sachin Ahir.

Political analyst Prakash Bal said if the three ruling parties fought the local body polls together, they can eat into the BJP’s space. “The Congress should accept that it has weakened in the state and should compromise on seats to fight collectively. It will help the party in winning more seats in Mumbai and other parts.”