Congress to Go Solo in BMC Polls
Chennithala rules out alliance if Sena (UBT) ties up with MNS, targets civic misgovernance
- Congress to contest BMC elections on its own strength
- Objection to Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS alliance triggers split
- Chennithala attacks BMC over pollution, hospitals, corruption
- Party to release manifesto and chargesheet for Mumbai
GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 20th Dec: Congress party’s Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday announced that the party will contest the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections independently, signalling a clear political break in Mumbai’s opposition dynamics.
Speaking to the media, Chennithala said the Congress is fully prepared to take on both the Bharatiya Janata Party and its state-level ally, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), in the civic polls. He made it clear that the party would not compromise on its ideology or voter base in the country’s financial capital.
The decision comes amid strong opposition from the Congress to a possible alliance between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray. Congress leaders have said aligning with the MNS is unacceptable due to its aggressive stance against North Indian migrants, which directly conflicts with the Congress’s secular ideology and support base in Mumbai. Chennithala and Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad have asserted that if MNS is brought into the alliance, Congress will fight the BMC polls alone.
Chennithala was speaking after chairing a meeting to review the Congress party’s preparedness for elections to the BMC and 28 other civic bodies across Maharashtra. During the interaction, he launched a sharp attack on the functioning of the municipal corporation over the past four years.
He said ordinary Mumbaikars continue to suffer due to rising pollution levels, the poor condition of civic hospitals and widespread corruption. “Despite these multiple crises, the poor have received no relief from the administration,” he alleged, holding the state government responsible for the prolonged delay in holding civic elections.
Accusing the government of deliberately avoiding elections while exercising direct control over the corporation’s day-to-day functioning, Chennithala said the democratic process was stalled by design. “The government had no intention of accepting the election process,” he said, adding that the polls are being held only because of the Supreme Court’s intervention. “Without the Supreme Court, another five years would have passed in the same manner,” he remarked.
Looking ahead, the Congress leader appealed to what he described as “true patriots and secular citizens” to unite for Mumbai’s future. He announced that the party will soon release a detailed manifesto for the city, along with a chargesheet outlining alleged failures of the current civic administration.
Chennithala asserted that the Congress is committed to ensuring that the BMC is run efficiently, transparently and in the best interests of the people of Mumbai.
