NCP to go it alone in next year’s civic elections

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday said it would go solo in the upcoming municipal corporation and council elections in the state. The party, however, said that it would maintain its alliance with Congress in the municipal elections in Mumbai.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday said it would go solo in the upcoming municipal corporation and council elections in the state. The party, however, said that it would maintain its alliance with Congress in the municipal elections in Mumbai.

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In view of upcoming elections in various parts of the state, the NCP had called a meeting of all party leaders and functionaries in Mumbai.

“In places where both the Congress and NCP are strong, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance weak, it makes sense and is beneficial for both parties to contest on their own,” deputy chief

minister Ajit Pawar said in the meeting.

He added that wherever the BJP and Shiv Sena had a strong support base, it made sense for the NCP and Congress to ally.

The political atmosphere has been heating up in the state, with impending elections in some of the biggest and most cash-rich corporations, such as Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nashik, along with nine others. The elections will be held early next year.

Many leaders in the Congress, such as Vilasrao Deshmukh, and NCP’s Ajit Pawar, firmly believe that both parties should contest elections on their own, to expand their electoral base.

They have fought separately in most of the corporation elections in cities such as Pune and Nashik. However, the strong hold that the Sena-BJP combine enjoys in Mumbai’s civic body and their wide support base in the city has compelled them to join hands for electoral gains.