Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena joins hands with Raj Thackeray’s MNS for Mumbai civic polls; Congress opts out

The formal announcement is expected on Wednesday, said senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

Raut clarified that Congress, which opposed the alliance, will no longer be a partner for the BMC elections.

“There will be no further discussion with the Congress. Post-election, if required, we will take support from them. But I am confident both Thackeray brothers will cross 100 seats in the BMC,” Raut told reporters, less than 24 hours after speaking with Rahul Gandhi over the phone.

Congress, however, reaffirmed its opposition to Raj Thackeray and indicated it could discontinue its alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT).

“It is wrong to say Raj Thackeray is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. In the BMC elections, the ideologies of our parties have diverged, and we will move forward maintaining these differences. Because Raj Thackeray has joined hands with Uddhav Thackeray, we will not continue our alliance with them,” said Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant.

Sawant added that Congress continues to distance itself from leaders who create controversies based on language and religion and is exploring other alliance options.

“The NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) approached us today, proposing a joint contest. It will take a few days to finalize which parties we ally with,” he said.

Earlier efforts to present a united Opposition front under the Maha Vikas Aghadi umbrella were stalled as Congress refused to include Raj Thackeray in the alliance.

Despite Shiv Sena (UBT) pushing for a collective fight against the BJP, the Mumbai Congress had already announced it would contest independently.

The alliance between the estranged Thackeray brothers, separated politically since 2005, is expected to consolidate right-wing votes lost by Shiv Sena after its previous collaboration with Congress.

While Congress was projected to retain the Muslim vote, ideological differences over MNS prevented a joint Opposition front.

With Uddhav Thackeray hemmed in by the BJP and Eknath Shinde following the party split two years ago, this unexpected reunion with Raj Thackeray marks a dramatic turn in Mumbai’s civic electoral politics, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle against the ruling party.