Mumbai: After a series of deliberations, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Tuesday announced that they will contest the upcoming local bodies elections together. However, there has been still no clarity over the inclusion of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the opposition fold as they said no proposal has been received from the Raj Thackeray-led party for the alliance.
On the backdrop of local bodies elections, Senior leaders of the MVA, which consists of the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), held a meeting. In the joint press meet after the meeting, they announced the formation of a state-level coordination committee to start preparations for contesting the upcoming elections to local bodies together.
“There was a detailed discussion on how to face the upcoming elections. If there are any differences within the MVA or if we want to discuss candidates, we should have a coordination committee,” said Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal. “There will be a state-level coordination committee of our allies and the Mahavikas Aghadi. It will include representatives from each of the alliance partners. If there are any differences, this committee will be authorised to find a way out and take decisions.”
The panel would be tasked with easing communication, resolving differences, and addressing any candidate-related issues ahead of the polls, he added.
However, the opposition alliance kept in abeyance the decision on the inclusion of MNS into their fold saying no proposal has been received from the Raj Thackeray-led party to join them.
“No such proposal has come before the Maha Vikas Aghadi so far about joining hands with the MNS. If such a proposal comes, we will sit together, discuss it, and take a decision,” NCP (SP) state unit president Shashikant Shinde said.
The Congress leadership believes that any association with the MNS, known for its open anti-North Indian and anti-minority stance, would be politically damaging.
A day earlier, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar had said the Congress would go solo in the Mumbai civic elections, while supporting his party colleagues in Nashik if they want to align with MNS.
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