MVA prepared to fight upcoming local body polls together; no proposal from MNS for alliance

Shashikant Shinde said the question of holding talks with the MNS didn't arise in the absence of a formal proposal.

Mumbai: The Congress, NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday announced the formation of a state-level coordination committee to steer preparations for contesting the upcoming elections to local bodies together.

The allies clarified that no proposal has been received regarding an alliance with the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to join the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

"No such proposal has come before the Maha Vikas Aghadi so far regarding joining hands with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. If such a proposal comes, we will sit together, discuss it, and take a decision," NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) state unit president Shashikant Shinde said while addressing a joint press conference after a key MVA meeting.

He said the question of holding talks with the MNS didn't arise in the absence of a formal proposal.

Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab, and Shinde briefed reporters on the discussions, stating that the new coordination committee will include representatives from each of the alliance partners.

Sapkal said the panel would be tasked with easing communication, resolving differences, and addressing any candidate-related issues ahead of the polls.

"The coordination committee will look into the nitty-gritty of the work as elections are being held across the state. The committee will discuss and coordinate with party workers and find an amicable solution," he said.

The Congress leader stated that the committee would be authorised to take decisions whenever required and would serve as a platform to resolve disputes.

"We discussed in detail how to face the upcoming elections. If there are any differences or discussions needed regarding candidates, this coordination committee will handle them," Sapkal added.

He noted that the MVA partners had jointly contested the last two major elections and were prepared to fight the upcoming polls together under both the MVA and the INDI bloc framework.

A section in the Congress is divided over taking the MNS on board, given Raj Thackeray's aggressive stance against north-Indian migrants and his "sons-of-the-soil" brand of politics, according to sources.

A day earlier, senior Congress leaders Vijay Wadettiwar and Sapkal made contradictory statements regarding an alliance with the MNS for the upcoming elections, scheduled for December.

Wadettiwar had said the Congress would go solo in the Mumbai civic elections, while supporting his party colleagues in Nashik if they want to align with MNS. He said district units had been authorised to take decisions as per the "local situation", a statement not in consonance with Sapkal.

The trigger was an announcement made by an MNS leader who said the Raj Thackeray-led party had finalised an alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi for local body polls in Nashik.

Sapkal said show-cause notices would be issued to functionaries of Congress in Nashik for attending a meeting regarding an alliance with the Raj Thackeray-led party.