Sena (UBT), MNS to ally for Mumbai civic polls, announcement likely soon: MP Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said his party and MNS will join hands for the upcoming civic polls in Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Nashik, with a formal announcement likely in the coming week.

Speaking to reporters here, Raut also stated that he spoke to the Congress top leadership, urging the party to contest the civic body polls as part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which he believes should also include the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

However, the Congress leadership has left the matter to the local leadership to decide, he added.

Raut also said that polls will be held in 29 municipal corporations of the state, but the "real battle" is for Mumbai, which played an important role in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15.

These are the first municipal corporations post-splits in the Shiv Sena (2022) and the Nationalist Congress Party (2023), developments which reshaped Maharashtra's politics.

The Shiv Sena (UBT), headed by former CM Uddhav Thackeray, and MNS have warmed up to each other after facing a drubbing in the 2024 state polls, while the Congress has ruled out any truck with Raj Thackeray's party.

"There is no problem in announcing the alliance (between Shiv Sena-UBT and MNS) in the coming week. Both the brothers, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, will be seen on stage for the announcement," Raut said to a question on the tie-up.

The two parties will come together for civic polls in major cities like Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira Bhayander, Pune and Nashik, he said.

Decision on the tie-up in other civic bodies will be taken by the local units, the Rajya Sabha member said.

Raut also met the MNS president on Tuesday for talks, possibly on a range of issues, including seat sharing.

After their meeting, MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said meetings between the two parties will continue, but did not elaborate further.

"As of now, Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are coming together," Nandgaonkar said.

On alliance with the Congress, Raut said, "I don't see Congress coming together at this point in time. They should have been with us." "I spoke to the party high command, but they have left this matter to be decided at the local level. Our appeal to the local unit of the Congress is not to do anything that will help the BJP," he said.

People will not forget the stand taken by the Congress, the Sena (UBT) leader warned, adding it has to be kept in mind that there are Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls as well in the future.

Raut said he will also talk to NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, which is a constituent of the MVA.

The NCP (SP) does not have a big role in Mumbai, but in other civic bodies, Sharad Pawar's party and the Shiv Sena (UBT) should contest together.