"Any Inclusion In Alliance Will Be Decided...": Congress On Raj Thackeray Buzz

Buzz about the possible inclusion of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)  has been circulating in Maharashtra's political circles, but the Congress party insists that no formal proposal or discussion has taken place.

Speaking to the press at Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal emphasised that the Congress and its allies remain focused on defending democracy and upholding constitutional values, particularly in the face of what they describe as authoritarian tendencies of the BJP.

"If any party wishes to join the India Alliance, the decision rests with the constituent parties of the alliance. Similarly, in Maharashtra, the MVA has already been formed against the BJP. Any inclusion of parties will be decided collectively by the alliance members," he said.

The clarification comes on the same day that a high-level meeting took place between MVA leaders and the State Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), where concerns over voter roll discrepancies, duplicate registrations, and the absence of VVPAT-enabled EVMs were raised.

While Congress was represented at the meeting by senior leader Balasaheb Thorat, the state party chief was in Delhi. Leaders from Sharad Pawar's NCP, Uddhav Thackeray's party, MNS, and, CPI were also present.

Sapkal highlighted that the local-level decisions on alliances or coalitions that are not with the INDIA bloc are left to local authorities.

"The state unit does not make unilateral decisions on these matters. Any coalition strategy will be coordinated with senior national leaders," he said.

The Congress' caution over the MNS is reportedly rooted in a couple of concerns.

The Raj Thackeray-led party is known for its aggressive stance towards North Indian, Hindi-speaking communities, who form a key voter base for Congress in Maharashtra. In addition, the MNS' recent shift towards Hindutva ideology has distanced it from Congress' secular approach, though it continues to coordinate smoothly with Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena, another anti-BJP Hindutva force in the state.