Friends in Mumbai, foes in Pune: Battlelines blur as Mahayuti and MVA face shifting alliances in Maharashtra civic polls

In a never-seen-before political development, the traditional battle lines of Maharashtra politics have dissolved into chaos ahead of the upcoming elections for 29 municipal corporations. The ruling Mahayuti and Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have not only failed to maintain a uniform political equation across different regions, but neighbouring cities are also witnessing a political shift, with an ally in one city emerging as the main opponent in the next.

With the elections for the 29 municipal corporations to be held in a single phase on January 15, this would mean that the constituents of the ruling side will be seen seeking votes against their own cabinet colleagues, promising civic amenities from the same government of which they are a part.

For example, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have formed an alliance in Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli, but will be fighting against each other in Mira-Bhayander and Navi Mumbai. The BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will take on each other in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, but have an alliance in Ahilyanagar and Kolhapur.

Similarly, an Opposition party will attack the government in one city, but seek votes along with the ruling party in another. For example, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) has allied with the NCP in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Parbhani and will take on Opposition partners Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). Congress has walked out of MVA in Thane, Nagpur, and Chandrapur, among others.

Neither the Mahayuti nor the MVA have managed to keep the alliances intact in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The BJP and Shiv Sena will contest the polls together, while the NCP will fight independently.

Among the Opposition, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have formed an alliance with the NCP (SP), without the Congress. The Congress and Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi will be the third front, which will also include Left parties.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena will once again contest as allies in the Thane Municipal Corporation, keeping the NCP out. From the Opposition, the NCP (SP), the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS have joined hands. Failing to reach a consensus, the Congress has decided to go solo in the election.

All three Mahayuti parties are fighting independently in Navi Mumbai, after a majority of Opposition leaders joined either the BJP or the Shinde-led Sena. To counter them, all remaining parties, including the Congress, the NCP (SP), the Shiv Sena (UBT), and the MNS, have come together, making it a four-corner contest. However, the main fight will be between the BJP and the Shiv Sena.

The BJP and the Shinde-led Sena will fight independently in Ulhasnagar. Former MLA Pappu Kalani’s son, Omie Kalani, will fight the election with the Shinde-led Sena. With no prominent faces left in the Opposition, the MVA will contest the elections, which will see representatives of all parties, except the BJP and the Shiv Sena.

After much deliberation, the BJP and Shiv Sena decided to contest the election in an alliance. While the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS have formed an alliance, the Congress has allied with the VBA and the NCP (SP).

The BJP and Shiv Sena alliance will be contesting the election in Bhiwandi-Nizampur, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP will be kept out. From the Opposition, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party will contest independently. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS have formed an alliance.

Failing to achieve consensus on seat sharing, the BJP and Shinde-led Sena are fighting independently. On the Opposition side, while the Congress and the Hitendra Thakur-led Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) will fight together, the NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), and MNS have set up a different front.

The BJP and Shinde-led Sena have formed an alliance to take on the BVA. From the Opposition, the Congress and MNS have joined hands with the BVA. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is set to go solo.

In Panvel, the BJP has allied with the Shiv Sena, the NCP and RPI (Athawale). To counter the ruling alliance, all Opposition parties have joined hands, led by the Peasants and Workers Party, along with the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress, the NCP (SP), the MNS, and the SP.

While the BJP has decided to go solo, the Shinde-led Sena and the NCP have formed an alliance. The MVA, which suffered due to a mass exodus of leaders, has decided to stick together and fight unitedly. The MNS, too, has supported the MVA.

All three Mahayuti parties will contest independently here. The Congress, too, has decided not to ally with anyone in Malegaon. In addition, the AIMIM will also contest solo. The SP, the local ISLAM party and the VBA have formed an alliance. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS will also contest as allies.

The BJP and NCP will ally in Ahilyanagar, forcing the Shinde-led Sena to go solo. The opposition MVA has decided to stick together with the Congress, the NCP (SP), and the Shiv Sena (UBT) putting up a joint front.

It will be a three-corner fight in north Maharashtra’s Jalgaon. While the ruling Mahayuti has decided to stick together, it will be challenged by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) alliance. The Congress and VBA alliance will turn it into a three-cornered contest.

In Dhule, the BJP chose to go solo despite holding talks as Mahayuti, forcing the Shiv Sena and NCP to join hands. The MVA will contest the election unitedly.

The BJP has refused to ally with any of its allies in Pune and is contesting solo. Rivals NCP and NCP (SP) have joined hands against the BJP. While the Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS will contest together, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena will contest independently.

Like neighbouring Pune, the BJP has snapped ties with its allies in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and has decided to go solo, leading to an NCP-NCP (SP) tie-up. The Congress, the VBA and the Shiv Sena will contest independently, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) has allied with the MNS.

The BJP has decided to fight the Solapur local body poll on its own, leading to the Shiv Sena and the NCP forming an alliance against it. In the third corner stands the united opposition of the Congress, the NCP (SP), the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Left parties. The AIMIM will go solo.

The Mahayuti will fight the Kolhapur local body elections as one, and faces a challenge from the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) front. The NCP (SP) has decided to quit the MVA and form an alliance with the VBA and the AAP.

The ruling Mahayuti has decided to fight unitedly to take on the Shiv-Shahu front of the Congress, the NCP(SP), the MNS, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and Left parties. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has decided to go solo.

The BJP has formed an alliance with the local Jansurajya party and the RPI (A), which will be challenged by the Congress and NCP (SP) alliance. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP is contesting independently, like the Shinde-led Sena. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS have formed an alliance.

A last-minute break in talks led to the BJP and the Shinde-led Sena contesting the election independently here. From the Opposition, the Shiv Sena (UBT) too has decided to fight solo while the Congress and the NCP (SP) will fight together.

All three Mahayuti parties will contest the election independently. While the Congress has formed an alliance with the VBA, the NCP (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest solo.

In Parbhani, despite earlier arrangements, the BJP and Shinde-led Sena broke their alliance at the last minute. Interestingly, the Pune pattern of the ruling NCP and Opposition NCP(SP) contesting together is being repeated in Parbhani as well. The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have decided to fight the election in an alliance to make it a four-corner battle.

The BJP, the Shinde-led Sena, and the NCP are going their separate ways in this election. The MVA stands together as an Opposition.

All parties are contesting independently in Latur, except for the Congress, which is fighting the election with VBA.

In Amaravati, all three Mahayuti parties have decided to fight independently. From the Opposition, the Congress is going solo, but in 12 wards, it has decided to extend support to the Opposition front of the Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP (SP), and the MNS. The VBA has formed its own front to contest the election.

In Akola, the BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP have formed an alliance, keeping the Shinde-led Sena aside. Out of 80 seats, the NCP will fight on 14 while the rest go to the BJP. The Shiv Sena is set to contest alone in this election.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has formed an alliance with former MLA Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar party and the MNS. The Congress and the NCP (SP) are set to contest together.

The BJP and the Shinde-led Sena will be in alliance in Nagpur, while the NCP will fight independently. Despite negotiations, the Opposition could not set up a united fight, leading to the Congress going solo in this election. All Opposition parties, including the NCP (SP), the Shiv Sena (UBT), the MNS, and the BSP, are contesting independently.

After the drubbing it received in local body polls, the BJP has decided to ally with the Shinde-led Sena, forcing the NCP to go solo.

For the Opposition, the Congress will fight independently, like the NCP (SP). The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the VBA will fight together to make it a four-cornered contest.