Mumbai, Jan 18 (PTI) The verdict in polls to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra is expected to redraw equations within the opposition bloc since the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has been decimated in its
stronghold in Pune, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) has put up a fight in its home turf in Mumbai while seeing its base shrink in others and the Congress has gained ground in several cities.
According to the final tally, the BJP won 1,425 out of a total 2,869 seats across 29 municipal corporations, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena 399, Congress 324, Ajit Pawar-led NCP 167, Shiv Sena (UBT) 155, NCP (SP) 36, MNS 13, BSP 6, parties registered with the SEC 129, unrecognised parties 196, and 19 independents.
With the Congress coming third overall and having done much better than Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), its allies in Maha Vikas Aghadi, political analysts said it will force a rethink as far as coordination, seat-sharing and leadership are concerned ahead of the 2029 assembly polls.
While Shiv Sena (UBT) lost its crown jewel, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and the NCP (SP) saw its bastions in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad crumble despite allying with Ajit Pawar's NCP, the Congress managed to be the single largest party in Kolhapur, Chandrapur and Bhiwandi.
Congress sources said the party will now demand a larger share in the MVA pie claiming the "regional pride" card of Thackeray and Pawar had failed to arrest BJP's growth.
These sources said the Congress' decision to go solo or in limited alliances is being viewed as a "stress test" that showed the party can survive and thrive even at this juncture.
While Thackeray's party has managed to remain the main challenger for BJP in Mumbai, its influence in other parts of the state has shrunk, which would directly affect its claim to be senior partner in the MVA based on its organisational muscle, analysts said.
The results indicate vote division between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Shiv Sena has benefited the ruling alliance in several wards, they pointed out. While Thackeray's party retains emotional connect and brand recall, translating this into ward-level victories remains a challenge in the absence of a unified organisational machinery, these analysts said.
The NCP (SP) has been the worst affected since the decimation in Pune district and single digit seats in most urban areas means its claim of being the "architect" of the MVA is now up for debate, they added.
The numbers suggest Congress is now the only party with a pan-Maharashtra footprint in the opposition, which will make it push for a common minimum program that prioritizes its national agenda, potentially forcing Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) to choose between playing second fiddle or risking a three-way split in the opposition vote, an analyst said.
The MVA constituents will also have to contend with groups like AIMIM, which did well in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Malegaon among others, and the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi that won in Vasai-Virar, he said.
"NCP (SP) and Sena (UBT) have no option but to leave behind their prejudices and align with Congress to ensure their symbol reaches pan-Maharashtra. The 2029 assembly polls are far away but starting from Zilla Parishad polls both these parties will have to go along with the Congress for this," senior journalist Prakash Akolkar said.
BJP leader Madhav Bhandari said opposition parties, including the Congress, are far away from ground realities, while the Thackerays are living in their own paradise.
Development is the main issue for the aspirational population and this has been decisively underlined in the local elections, he added.
"It is time for Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) to hit the streets and rework their organisations to create fresh leadership," NCP (SP) general secretary Arvind Tiwari opined.
Senior Congress leader Ratnakar Mahajan said his party had emerged as the largest party in the opposition bloc but admitted the results in recent local body and civic polls showed the gap between the winners and the opposition is wide.
"Flow of cash to party workers and voters could be the reason, but this fact has been ignored. The only way forward for Congress is to strengthen the organisation at the block level. Not that the leadership doesn't understand this, but implementation has its loopholes. The party will also have to present a united face to take on BJP and rethink its alliance strategy," he said. PTI MR BNM
