Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) has decided to tap smaller parties in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections. Though its City President Duneshwar Pethe has clearly said that his group is keen to go with Congress, which is a part of Maha Vikas Aaghadi (MVA), it will try to bring smaller parties together, creating a joint front. People’s Republican Party (PRP) led by Jogendra Kawade has already joined Mahayuti supporting Shiv Sena (Shinde). PRP is asking for good number of seats to Sena. Another group is of Bahujan Republican Ekta Manch led by Adv Sulekha Kumbhare, a part of Mahayuti. Recently, Kumbhare had a feud with Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the Election Head for Maharashtra for Bharatiya Janata Party for local body polls during Kamptee Municipal Council election.

 

Considering that aspect, will the alliance be there in NMC polls or not is not clear. Meanwhile, parties like Bahujan Samaj Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi, Gondwana Gantantra, Lok Manch, etc. have no alliance with any bigger group or party. Bahujan Samaj Party won 10 seats in 2017 polls. BSP has established its supremacy in some pockets of the city and it is likely to continue in 2026 polls too. But smaller parties mentioned above other than BSP, can join hands with NCP (Sharad Pawar). The party did this experiment during Nagar Panchayat and Municipal Council polls. Its leaders claimed that it was a new experiment and expect a good outcome when the results will be declared on December 21. Unlike the stand taken by Mahayuti, the MVA has not made it clear as to what formula it would apply as far as alliance is concerned.

 

Against this backdrop, for its own existence, NCP (SP) is mulling over bringing smaller parties together. According to political experts, this can be a new front, but nobody is sure about its success. Their leaders too know that the candidates fielded by the party are less likely to win against mighty BJP. But the experiment will surely help the party to stand on the battlefield and strengthen itself. 

 

 

The workers of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are clueless about the party’s stand. On Wednesday, the core committee of a few senior leaders discussed the future strategy with party supremo Raj Thackeray. There are chances that both MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) will declare the alliance in a day or two. It is not clear whether the alliance will be in some cities like Mumbai, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar only or across Maharashtra. MNS had won two seats each in 2007 and in 2012 NMC polls. Raj Thackeray had come in 2007 and addressed a rally at Tiranga square, but he did not turn up in 2012. Surprisingly, he totally revamped the party’s Vidarbha’s organisational structure three years ago, replacing performers with new ones. Will that have good effect or bad effect in NMC polls, is the million dollar question.