Maharashtra Local Body Polls: Thackerays, NCP Test Strength Amid Murky Alliances

Mumbai: Maharashtra is voting on Thursday in the civic body elections, with polling underway in 29 municipal corporations across the state, including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Polling began at 7.30 am and will continue till 5.30 pm, while counting of votes is scheduled for Friday, January 16.

What makes these local body elections most significant is that the various alliance partners, both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi have entered into various formulations in different regions, and all those equations will be put to test today. 

Broadly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena, both part of the ruling Mahayuti, are contesting the civic elections as allies under the Mahayuti banner. However, in Pune, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), another key partner in the Mahayuti alliance has chosen to stay away from the BJP-Eknath Shinde grouping. 

Pawars Join Hands

Interestingly, in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the NCP factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar have come together under a joint manifesto, following their split in 2023. In yet another twist in Pune, the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shidne opted to go solo, after failing to set up an acceptable seat-sharing formula with BJP.

Ahead of the polls, Republic Media Network Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami has hinted that the NCP factions may merge in just two-three months, and the coming together of both the factions in Pune, is only an indication of the broader political picture.

Thackerays Together

Yet another key development ahead of these polls is the coming together of the Thackeray cousins, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, after nearly two decades, who have joined hands on the issue of Marathi Manus. The BJP-led Mahayuti are set to face the united Thackeray camp in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country's richest civic body. 

The undivided Shiv Sena was a strong force in the BMC, the elections to which was last held in 2017. The party had then won 84 seats in alliance with the BJP, which won 82 seats. However, a much water has flown under the bridge since then, and the party split in 2022. Political commentators say that for the Thackeray cousins, these polls will test if the 'Thackeray' brand still carries as much weight as it once did in the city.

The State Election Commission stated that a total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots to decide the fate of 15,908 candidates contesting 2,869 seats across 893 wards in 29 municipal corporations. A total of 39092 Polling centre has been set up across the state.

The Maharashtra government has declared January 15 a public holiday in areas covered by the 29 municipal corporations. While employers have been directed to allow their employees two to three hours to cast their votes, schools have been asked to stay shut. 

The Mumbai Police have tightened its security in the city in view of the BMC polls. Police personnel have installed barricades at various locations and conducted checks on passing vehicles. (With ANI inputs)

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