Shivsena (UBT), MNS Begin Seat-Sharing Talks Ahead of BMC Elections.

Seat-sharing discussions have begun between Shivsena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) ahead of the long-delayed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, signalling a potential political realignment. 

A long wait for the official announcement of the alliance of Shivsena (UBT) and MNS seems to be taking shape.Shivsena (UBT) shows positive signs to offer 75 seats to MNS out of 227 seats, according to sources, Though the final seat sharing formula is yet to be announced and a couple of more rounds of negotiations may take place. 

The talks began at a time when both parties are looking to consolidate Marathi votes and strengthen their negotiating power against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had been preparing an aggressive campaign for the country’s richest municipal body.

While no formal commitment has been announced, the preliminary dialogue on seat sharing itself has energised party workers on both sides, who see an opportunity to revive a broader Marathi regional front that once dominated Mumbai’s municipal politics.

However, the Congress has refused to include the MNS in the INDIA alliance. The Congress high command is not keen on accommodating the MNS. “We cannot form an alliance with a party that takes the law into its own hands,” Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad told the media. She also said that discussions are underway with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) regarding the Mahavikas Aghadi. 

In Maharashtra, the Mahavikas Aghadi comprises Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (SP), CPM, CPI, and the Workers and Peasants Party— the same coalition that comes together nationally as the INDIA bloc.