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Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS to contest Pune civic polls together
The alliance was announced jointly in Pune on Monday by senior Congress leader Satej Patil and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir
The Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Monday decided to contest the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections together.
The move comes a day after the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) chose to join hands with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and exited the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), triggering a reshuffle of opposition strategies ahead of the polls.
The alliance was announced jointly in Pune on Monday by senior Congress leader Satej Patil and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir. They confirmed that seat-sharing talks are in progress for the 165-member civic body.
“We have decided to contest the Pune civic polls together with Shiv Sena (UBT). Seat-sharing discussions are underway. Congress has decided to distribute AB forms for 60 seats, while Sena (UBT) will do so for 45 seats. Talks are still on for the remaining seats, as we are trying to accommodate like-minded parties,” Patil said.
Ahir said the alliance would include the MNS, while Congress was in talks to accommodate the VBA. “Discussions are ongoing, and the final outcome will be clear after the meeting with MNS later this evening,” he said.
According to Ahir, separate negotiations with the MNS have already taken place in Pune.
“Initially, the MNS demanded a large number of seats. After two rounds of talks, the number came down to 32. Shiv Sena (UBT) has offered 21 seats to the MNS. The numbers may still change and will be finalised after today’s meeting,” he added.
Political observers said the coming together of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and MNS could alter electoral equations in Pune by consolidating distinct voter bases against the ruling formations in the civic polls.
