Congress joined hands with Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA for the BMC polls, allotting 62 of 227 seats to consolidate Dalit, Muslim and OBC votes, despite internal dissent.
Ajit Pawar’s NCP and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) will contest the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls together, though a similar understanding for Pune city is still unclear.
Shiv Sena (UBT) has opened seat-sharing talks with NCP (SP) for the BMC, but competing claims from the MNS have complicated negotiations.
Inside Maharashtra’s Shifting Alliances For Upcoming Municipal Polls
With long-delayed municipal elections drawing closer, Maharashtra’s political landscape is in flux, marked by swift realignments across parties and regions. From Mumbai to Pimpri-Chinchwad, emerging alliances reflect not only immediate strategic compulsions but also a broader, evolving consolidation of opposition forces seeking to challenge the BJP-led NDA.
Summary
With municipal elections finally on the horizon, Maharashtra’s political scene is seeing rapid shifts and unlikely alliances. Across key urban centres such as Mumbai and Pimpri-Chinchwad, opposition parties are coming together, setting aside past differences to strengthen their challenge to the BJP-led NDA in crucial civic battles.
Congress joins hands with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi
The Congress and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) have announced an electoral alliance in Maharashtra, starting with the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The tie-up was announced on December 28 in Mumbai and marks a major shift in the city’s civic politics. The alliance aims to challenge the BJP-led NDA, which has dominated recent local body elections.
As many as 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC, are scheduled to go to the polls on January 15, 2026. Under the seat-sharing formula, the VBA will contest 62 of the 227 BMC seats, while the Congress will field candidates in the remaining wards. Leaders from both parties said the alliance is based on shared commitments to constitutional values, social justice, and stronger representation for marginalised communities such as Dalits, Muslims, and OBCs.
However, the agreement has caused unease within sections of the Congress, especially over giving up wards where the party has traditionally been strong. Despite this internal resistance, senior leaders argue that a united opposition is essential to counter the BJP’s strong organisation and polarising campaign style in the civic polls.
Pawar Reunion In Pimpri-Chinchwad
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has confirmed that his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will join hands with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) for the upcoming Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections. The decision marks a notable political U-turn and follows the recent reunion of the Pawar family during the inauguration of the Sharad Pawar Centre for Excellence in Artificial Intelligence in Baramati on December 28, an event attended by Gautam Adani.
Calling it a “family reunion” of the party, Ajit Pawar said both factions would contest the civic polls together, signalling a rare patch-up after their split. Talks on seat sharing are currently underway. However, it is still unclear whether this understanding will extend to the Pune Municipal Corporation elections.
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Thackeray–NCP (SP) Talks For BMC
Shiv Sena (UBT) is also in talks with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) for the BMC elections. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said on December 29 that discussions had taken place and that a few seats in Mumbai had been set aside for NCP (SP).
Raut added that some of the seats claimed by NCP (SP) have instead been allotted to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). As a result, NCP (SP) will now need to hold further talks with MNS chief Raj Thackeray to resolve seat-sharing issues and move negotiations forward.
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