Congress Distances Itself From Sena (UBT)–MNS Alliance Talk

Mumbai: Shiv Sena’s (UBT) proposal to align with Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has caused agitation in the Congress. On Monday, Congress’s Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala clarified that the party is not in talks with any other party regarding the upcoming civic elections. The statement came after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s suggestion that MNS could be part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Some Congress leaders have strongly opposed the idea, especially with Bihar Assembly elections on the horizon.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Raut had claimed that the MNS wanted the Congress to be part of the Opposition alliance for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls. He said that he has already spoken to AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and will also speak to Rahul Gandhi, while Uddhav Thackeray will discuss the MNS issue with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Mr. Chennithala, however, rejected any discussion of an alliance with the MNS, known for its anti-North India stance. “Even today, I spoke to Mr. Raut. But he did not raise the issue of MNS. We have not received any such offer from anyone and have not had any discussions with anyone about joining hands with MNS,” the Congress leader said.

Mr. Chennithala attended a party meeting attended by all senior leaders at Santacruz in Mumbai. The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss the Congress’s road map for the 2026 BMC elections.

According to sources, a section of Congress leaders in Mumbai has opposed any alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), arguing that it could hurt the party’s minority and non-Marathi vote bank in the city. In fact, all of them demanded that the Congress contest the upcoming BMC elections independently, claiming that the current alliance with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) only benefits the Shiv Sena (UBT) and not the Congress.

Mumbai Congress leaders argued that Congress voters have shifted in favor of the Thackeray group in the 2024 Assembly elections, while the Congress has failed to gain any mutual advantage from the vote bank of the Thackeray group.

Mr. Chennithala, however, rejected any leader objecting to the alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. “It is true that they want the party to contest the elections on its own. Usually, in local elections, decisions regarding alliances are taken by the local party unit. But we have not taken any decision regarding BMC or any municipal elections in Maharashtra,” he said.

When asked whether the Congress would consider an alliance with the MNS after the Bihar elections, Mr. Chennithala reiterated that there had been no discussions with anyone regarding the MNS alliance.

Local body elections are expected to be held in Maharashtra from January next year. Of the 780 local bodies in rural and urban areas spread across the state’s 36 districts, 687 are currently under the control of administrators, with elections long overdue.