Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray at his residence, Shivtirth in Mumbai's Dadar, on Monday. The informal meeting, however, fueled speculations about a possible alliance between BJP and MNS for the upcoming local body elections, particularly the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.
Interestingly, this was Fadnavis’ first meeting with Thackeray since taking office in December last year. While details of their discussion remain undisclosed, political circles believe the meeting was centred around the BJP’s strategy to strengthen its hold in Mumbai’s civic elections.
BJP MLC Prasad Lad confirmed that Thackeray had invited Fadnavis to his residence near Shivaji Park in Mumbai’s Dadar area but refrained from revealing further details, as reported by PTI.
MNS and BJP: A Possible Alliance?
The MNS had extended support to the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, in the Maharashtra assembly elections last November, Thackeray’s party contested independently and failed to secure a single seat. Now, with the BMC elections approaching, there are talks of a possible BJP-MNS alliance to consolidate votes in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction within the Mahayuti alliance, as the BJP is aggressively working to secure a complete victory in the civic polls. In Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the contest is shaping up as a direct face-off between Ajit Pawar’s NCP and the BJP, making the electoral battle even more intense.
Raj Thackeray’s Criticism For BJP
Despite his recent show of support, Thackeray has not held back in criticising the BJP. Last month, he accused the ruling party of betraying its promises by inducting leaders allegedly involved in multi-crore scams into the state cabinet instead of taking legal action against them.
He also raised concerns over the fairness of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election results, suggesting that irregularities may have influenced the outcome.
Maha Vikas Aghadi To Contest Civic Polls Separately
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance has made it clear that it will contest the BMC polls independently. Following its defeat in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena UBT has decided to go solo in local body elections.
"We will fight Mumbai and Nagpur Municipal Corporation on our own, whatever happens will happen. We have to see for ourselves. We will fight Nagpur on our own. Uddhav Thackeray has given us such a signal. I just now discussed it with our Nagpur city Shiv Sena chief Pramod Manmode...In the alliance, the workers do not get a chance to fight in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly. This is affecting the party, in fact, the growth of the party. We should fight in the Municipal Corporation, Zilla Parishad and Nagar Panchayat on our own and strengthen our party...," said Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut, reinforcing the party’s decision to fight alone.
