PCMC polls: As MVA partners fail to reach an agreement, Uddhav Sena teams up with MNS

Behl said NCP will be contesting 110 seats. “Some BJP and Sena leaders came to us at the last minute. We have accommodated them,” said Behl.

WHILE SHARAD Pawar’s NCP (SP) joined hands with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the BJP and Shiv Sena failed to strike an alliance, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) too failed to reach any agreement for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) polls.

The Congress has decided to go solo while the Shiv Sena (UBT) has forged an alliance with the Raj Thackeray-led MNS. “Our alliance with NCP (SP) has been firmed in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Out of the 128 seats, we have allocated 18 seats to NCP (SP),” said Yogesh Behl, president, Pimpri-Chinchwad NCP unit.

In the 2017 elections, the NCP had won 36 seats. It was defeated by the BJP which won 78 seats. The BJP ruled PCMC for five years.

While the two NCPs formed an alliance and the BJP and Sena failed to join hands, the Congress and Sena (UBT), which are part of the MVA, too failed to strike an alliance.

“The Congress has fielded 60 candidates… We held discussions with the Sena but could not reach an agreement,” said Manoj Kamble, general secretary, Maharashtra Congress.

On the other hand, Sena (UBT) Pimpri-Chinchwad chief Gautam Chabuskwar said, “Our alliance could not be forged with Congress. We will have an alliance with MNS and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha. The Sena has fielded 59 candidates while the MNS has fielded 17 candidates.”

Chabukswar said, “As of now, there is no MVA in Pimpri-Chinchwad. After the last day of withdrawal of nominations, we will again meet to see whether it is possible to forge an alliance.”

Congress leaders too said they will wait for directives from the state leadership about an alliance. As for “accommodating” the MNS, the Congress leaders said nothing has been decided so far. For PMC polls, though the MVA has not made MNS part of it, it has “accommodated” Raj Thackeray’s party in Sena (UBT)’s quota.

From 1986, the Congress had initially ruled PCMC on its own. Later, it ruled PCMC in association with the undivided NCP. However, in last three elections, the Congress has drawn a blank: not a single candidate could win. The undivided Sena had nice corporators in the 2017 PCMC elections.

Congress leaders said initially they were hoping the NCP (SP) would be a part of the MVA. “However, as both NCP were holding discussions, we had given up hopes of making them a part of the MVA,” said Babu Nair, a Congress leader.

The two factions of the NCP have joined hands in Pimpri-Chinchwad to avoid division of votes. Both BJP and NCP are going all out to capture PCMC. NCP national president Ajit Pawar started reaching out to people at least three months before the election campaign started. Both NCP and BJP have roped in former corporators from their respective parties in their partyfold. On Sunday, Ajit Pawar exhorted party workers to go all out to win PCMC. He alleged that during BJP rule, there was corruption in PCMC and therefore NCP should be brought back for good governance. “We are confident of returning to power in PCMC. Though the NCP has made allegations against us, we will not make any allegation against them. We will try to win as many as seats as possible. That will be our answer,” said Shatrughan Kate, president of BJP Pimpri-Chinchwad unit.