Mumbai, Jan 11 Months after the Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) Maharashtra Assembly polls defeat, tensions are rising within the opposition alliance after Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut announced that his party will contest the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Mumbai and Nagpur independently, and Congress leader Bhai Jagtap, in response, also pitched for his party to follow the same course.
Raut contended that the lack of opportunities for party workers within the alliance and the necessity for organisational growth were the main reasons behind Shiv Sena-UBT’s decision to contest independently, raising questions about the unity of the opposition alliance.
In a conversation with IANS, Bhai Jagtap, citing Raut’s comments, said: "Sanjay Raut holds daily press conferences, so he needs something to say. But this is a serious issue. We fought together in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. The opinion of (SS-UBT chief) Uddhav Thackeray on this matter is crucial."
Jagtap, reflecting on his tenure as the President of the Mumbai unit of the Congress, said: "I always believed that local elections should be fought based on the situation. I advocated the Congress to contest alone at the regional level. The Congress leadership, however, did not voice any opinion on this."
He acknowledged that, historically, both the Congress and the Shiv Sena-UBT had contested regional elections independently.
However, he emphasised that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections are different due to their prominence, garnering widespread attention.
While Jagtap noted that the INDIA bloc has always supported the stance of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he stressed the importance of hearing Uddhav Thackeray's viewpoint.
However, he reiterated his personal stance, stating: "Congress should fight independently, as our workers have been working tirelessly. Looking at past results, Congress has performed well in these polls. It means a lot to our workers, and I have always believed that the Congress should go alone."
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