Congress and Allies Strategize for Mumbai's Civic Showdown

The Congress announced its candidates for upcoming BMC elections, forming a pact with VBA. The RSP and NCP also declared their lists, setting the stage for the 29 municipal elections in Maharashtra on Jan 15. Alliances and candidate declarations intensify as nomination deadlines loom.

The Congress party released its first list of 70 candidates for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections slated for January 15. This came just as the deadline for filing nominations approaches.

Significantly, the Congress has partnered with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), headed by Prakash Ambedkar, to contest in the polls for the 227-member BMC, India's wealthiest civic entity boasting an annual budget exceeding Rs 74,000 crore. The VBA will contest 62 seats in coalition with Congress.

Simultaneously, Mahadev Jankar's Rashtriya Samaj Paksh (RSP), also in alliance with Congress, revealed its list of six candidates. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar and part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), announced candidates for seven seats. Notably, the NCP hasn't allied with other parties in Mumbai. Maharashtra's municipal elections, covering 29 cities including Mumbai and Pune, conclude their nomination phase by December 30, with the vote counting scheduled for January 16.