Mumbai Civic Polls: Parties rush to name candidates before deadline
Mumbai Civic Polls: Parties rush to name candidates before deadline
Nomination window closes soon as alliances snap up seats for Mumbai's BMC elections, setting up a four-way clash across the city.
With the nomination window closing on December 30 for the Maharashtra municipal corporation polls, Mumbai is bracing for a four-way contest as alliances take shape and AB forms go out to contenders.
In a landmark development, the Congress has allied with Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA, announcing a list of 87 candidates, while VBA named 10 contenders. The Congress is set to contest 165 of the 227 seats in Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The VBA alliance targets seats across caste lines, including OBC, Maratha, Dalit communities. The party frames the move as a historic shift in Maharashtra politics, with Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad calling it a historic alliance that will steer politics in the state while keeping its ideology intact.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are contesting against their ally Congress and Mahayuti’s BJP-Shiv Sena, and AB forms have been issued to at least 60 candidates. Notable entrants include former MP Vinayak Raut’s son Geetesh Raut, MLA Sunil Prabhu’s son Ankit Prabhu, and MLA Haroon Khan’s daughter Saba Haroon Khan, among others, signaling a mix of veteran presence and new faces.
Following marathon meetings, the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have agreed on more than 207 seats, though 20 seats are still pending. “Shiv Sena will contest 79 seats, BJP 128 seats, and the rest will be decided based on Opposition candidates in those constituencies,” said Ameet Satam, Mumbai BJP president. The sprawling contest is shaping up as a test of Marathi manoos politics and party agility, with voters watching how these lineups translate into local governance promises.
