<p>Coinciding with the Maharashtra Day festivities on May 1, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is all set to hold its ‘Vajramuth’ series of mega rallies in Mumbai. It would mark a major show of strength in the run-up to the 2023 local bodies polls and 2024 general elections. </p>.<p>While the MVA partners -- Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) -- are holding the 'Vajramuth' (lightning) rallies across the big cities, the differences among the three parties have come to the fore. </p>.<p>The Mumbai rally on Monday will give a chance to the tri-party alliance to put up a united front and all of them have released testers of the mega gathering at the MMRDA Ground at Bandra Kurla Complex.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/west/sc-rejects-plea-for-transfer-of-shiv-sena-assets-from-thackeray-faction-to-shinde-group-1213711.html" target="_blank">SC rejects plea for transfer of Shiv Sena assets from Thackeray faction to Shinde group</a></strong></p>.<p>The crisis within the MVA has come out in the open in the wake of the leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar’s closeness with the BJP and reports that he may resign, switch over or support the saffron party as a group. </p>.<p>The Pawar uncle-nephew, however, has denied any such move though the junior Pawar had made his chief ministerial ambitions known. </p>.<p>The Mumbai MVA rally would be a sort of kickstarter for the polls to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which has been due for over a year now. </p>.<p>Besides BMC, the civic polls are also due in eight other municipal corporations of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). </p>.<p>It is the Balasaheb Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena which had controlled the BMC -- the richest and one of the biggest civic bodies of the country -- for close to a quarter of a century and for Uddhav, who now heads the Shiv Sena (UBT) to keep the control would be a big challenge in view of the June 2022 split, in which now Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has clearly made a dent. </p>.<p>Shinde, who is now the chief leader of Shiv Sena, has managed to get in many former corporators of the BMC into his fold. </p>.<p>As far as the MMR is concerned, in most likelihood the NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT) would have an alliance though the Congress is yet to formally announce any decision. The Shiv Sena (UBT) individually has an alliance with the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.</p>.<p>The Shiv Sena-BJP on the other hand has the support of Ramdas Athawale-led RPI while the Shinde group has an alliance with Prof Jogendra Kawade-led PRP. </p>.<p>The crucial faction in these polls would be the stand of Raj Thackeray-led MNS, who enjoys very good relations with BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as well as Shinde. </p>
<p>Coinciding with the Maharashtra Day festivities on May 1, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is all set to hold its ‘Vajramuth’ series of mega rallies in Mumbai. It would mark a major show of strength in the run-up to the 2023 local bodies polls and 2024 general elections. </p>.<p>While the MVA partners -- Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) -- are holding the 'Vajramuth' (lightning) rallies across the big cities, the differences among the three parties have come to the fore. </p>.<p>The Mumbai rally on Monday will give a chance to the tri-party alliance to put up a united front and all of them have released testers of the mega gathering at the MMRDA Ground at Bandra Kurla Complex.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/west/sc-rejects-plea-for-transfer-of-shiv-sena-assets-from-thackeray-faction-to-shinde-group-1213711.html" target="_blank">SC rejects plea for transfer of Shiv Sena assets from Thackeray faction to Shinde group</a></strong></p>.<p>The crisis within the MVA has come out in the open in the wake of the leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar’s closeness with the BJP and reports that he may resign, switch over or support the saffron party as a group. </p>.<p>The Pawar uncle-nephew, however, has denied any such move though the junior Pawar had made his chief ministerial ambitions known. </p>.<p>The Mumbai MVA rally would be a sort of kickstarter for the polls to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which has been due for over a year now. </p>.<p>Besides BMC, the civic polls are also due in eight other municipal corporations of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). </p>.<p>It is the Balasaheb Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena which had controlled the BMC -- the richest and one of the biggest civic bodies of the country -- for close to a quarter of a century and for Uddhav, who now heads the Shiv Sena (UBT) to keep the control would be a big challenge in view of the June 2022 split, in which now Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has clearly made a dent. </p>.<p>Shinde, who is now the chief leader of Shiv Sena, has managed to get in many former corporators of the BMC into his fold. </p>.<p>As far as the MMR is concerned, in most likelihood the NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT) would have an alliance though the Congress is yet to formally announce any decision. The Shiv Sena (UBT) individually has an alliance with the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.</p>.<p>The Shiv Sena-BJP on the other hand has the support of Ramdas Athawale-led RPI while the Shinde group has an alliance with Prof Jogendra Kawade-led PRP. </p>.<p>The crucial faction in these polls would be the stand of Raj Thackeray-led MNS, who enjoys very good relations with BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as well as Shinde. </p>
