Not opposed to alliance with NCP and Shiv Sena in local body polls: Congress

In a major turnaround, the Congress Parliamentary Board in Maharashtra, on Tuesday, decided that the alliance with ruling partners Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and other like minded parties in the coming civic and local body polls will be taken after seeking the views of grassroot workers. Today’s move comes days after newly appointed state unit chief Nana Patole had said the Congress is geared up to go solo in the coming elections and it will not impact the functioning of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.

On the other hand, Mumbai Regional Congress Committee President Bhai Jagtap has repeatedly announced that the party will fight all the 227 seats independently in the coming elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) slated for 2022.

However, today’s parliamentary board’s decision has been a complete shift in the stand taken by Patole and Jagtap considering the present state of the party organisation in the state. Congress with 44 legislators and one Lok Sabha is ranked fourth and it is struggling to control factionalism and intra party rivalries.

The parliamentary board’s decision has also indicated that Congress is open to tie up with Shiv Sena and NCP in a serious bid to defeat BJP. At the same, it has also hinted that Congress, while sharing power in the state and thereafter in civic and local bodies, can consolidate its strength instead of going solo.

However, the parliamentary board was quite categorical that while aligning with other parties, the Congress will not compromise on its core programmes, which are aimed at scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, other backward classes and minorities.

The parliamentary board has unanimously resolved that the statutory boards should be revived and the allocation of funds be done accordingly. The party also passed a resolution extending support to the Maratha and Muslim reservations and also made a strong case of increasing budgetary allocation for tribals, backward classes, OBCs, nomadic tribes and minority communities.