Congress workers want the party to contest the upcoming Maharashtra civic polls independently, but a final call will be made locally after consultations, AICC state-in-charge Ramesh Chennithala said Monday.
He remained non‑committal on tying up with Raj Thackeray’s MNS in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) front, stating “It is the wish of workers to go solo, but no decision is final yet. All Congress leaders lean toward contesting alone. However, any decision, whether to go solo or ally, will be made after talks with the state party president and Mumbai unit chief Varsha Gaikwad.”
Speaking after a meeting of the state political affairs committee attended by MPCC President Harshawardhan Sapkal, Chennithala said there have been no discussions or proposals to align with MNS.
“We have no alliance with MNS and no talks have been held. No one has approached us about including the MNS in the MVA,” he added.
Earlier, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut claimed that MNS wants Congress to be part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Chennithala emphasised that elections will be fought on local issues, and alliance decisions will rest with local leaders.
He also accused the ruling Mahayuti coalition of diverting funds from critical departments for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana: Rs 410 crore from social justice department and Rs 335 crore from the tribal development department. He said this fund diversion weakened welfare programmes for the Scheduled Castes.
Further, Chennithala criticised the government’s Rs 31,628-crore relief package for rain-hit farmers as inadequate, stating that it fell short of farmer demands and that the MGNREGA component was insufficient.
Chennithala also warned of the alleged threats to privatise the state electricity board, support for “coal mafia,” and neglect of citizens’ issues like unemployment or agrarian distress. He condemned inflammatory statements by certain MLAs, calling for stronger condemnation from Chief Minister Fadnavis and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. On the Maratha‑OBC quota dispute, he accused the BJP of divisive politics and reaffirmed Congress’s stance on inclusive development.
According to PTI, he disclosed that MVA leaders, including NCP-SP’s Sharad Pawar, Sena (UBT)’s Uddhav Thackeray, and Congress’s Balasaheb Thorat and Varsha Gaikwad, will meet Maharashtra’s State Election Commission in Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss poll arrangements.
Last month, the Supreme Court instructed the SEC to complete the long-pending local body polls, stalled since 2022, by January 31, 2026.
(With PTI inputs)
