As BMC elections approach, cracks within MVA widen

While Shiv Sena and NCP remain allies, Congress may be going another way

Cracks seem to be widening among the Maha Vikas Aghadi partners Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress after it lost power in Maharashtra after a rebellion in the Shiv Sena.

While reports suggest that Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar-led NCP will contest the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections together, Congress's decision to alone has embarrassed the saffron party.

In further embarrassment to Uddhav, senior Congress leader Milind Deora shot off a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the issue of delimitation and reservation of wards, saying that the new situation benefits only the Shiv Sena. In the latest delimitation exercise, the number of wards was increased from 227 to 236 by the MVA government.

Deora, son of late Murli Deora, a loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family, was the Minister of State for Shipping, Communication and IT in the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

“The new ward boundaries and quota benefits only the Shiv Sena. At least, 20 out of 30 wards the Congress won in 2017 have been restructured wrongly and caused a massive loss to the Congress. Reserving the Opposition leader Ravi Raja’s ward and many others is an act that damages democratic process,” Deora wrote in the letter.

Deora said that for the Maharashtra government's delimitation and demarcation exercise to redraw and reserve wards based on gender and caste in the BMC, suggestions and objections were sought in February 2022. “Nearly 800 objections were received by the civic body and the State Election Commission, but none of them were considered," he said.

In a tweet, Deora posted the letter and said, “My letter to Shinde ji and Fadnavis ji….urging them to nullify BMC’s recently concluded ward-wise delimitation and reservation. Mumbai’s wards were gerrymandered in violation of MVA’s coalition dharma to benefit Shiv Sena. Mumbaikars deserve free and fair elections.”

What is more interesting is Fadnavis's response to Deora's tweet. “Deora ji….received your letter addressed to CM Shinde and me on social media. We have noted your sentiments and will definitely try to address your concerns for Mumbaikars and for free and fair elections. Thanks !,” Fadnavis tweeted.