Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is keen on contesting the upcoming corporation elections in Mumbai in alliance with its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies and cousin Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), sources said. Talks are now underway to persuade Congress for an arrangement that would bring all the parties together, they added.
The Congress has already announced that it would contest solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, expected to be held early next year. The decision was taken at a recent convention of the Mumbai Congress unit, chaired by Maharashtra State in-charge Ramesh Chennithala.
The announcement has put a question mark on the possibility of the Opposition's electoral unity in Maharashtra. The opposition alliance, MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress, had contested the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together.
Shiv Sena (UBT)'s proximity with the MNS had not gone down well with the Congress, which had been maintaining a safe distance from the MNS. Though Congress has welcomed the Thackeray cousins' reunion, it has refrained from a political alignment with the MNS.
The Congress has told Uddhav Thackeray that it will not ally with him if he allies with his cousin, sources said.
Uddhav Thackeray, however, is adamant that he would contest the BMC election in an alliance with the Congress and the MVA. He is of the view that if the MVA splits, both the Sena and Congress will lose, according to the sources.
Opposition unity is crucial to fight the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray believes. He remains in touch with the Congress's central leadership despite its Maharashtra and Mumbai leaders deciding to contest solo.
The backdoor talks to convince Congress are underway, with the Sena reaching out to senior Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad and the Mumbai Congress chief, sources said.
