Mumbai Civic Polls: Congress wants to go solo, waiting for UBT decision

Mumbai: The Mumbai Congress leadership has strongly conveyed to the party top brass that it should go solo in contesting the upcoming Mumbai civic elections and not in an alliance with the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) Shiv Sena. On Monday, the Mumbai Congress held a meeting with its Political Affairs Committee where the Mumbai leadership apprised Congress Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala that the party would be better off if it contested the Mumbai civic elections alone. "We have apprised him that the Congress party workers were keen to contest the local body polls alone and if we go for an alliance with the UBT Sena, then it would mean that we would be left with fewer seats to contest. That would mean that our grassroot party workers won't be able to contest and strengthen the party network on the ground," said a Congress leader, who was present in the meeting.

Chennithala admitted that all workers in Mumbai wanted the party to go alone. "All our party leaders and workers in the meeting said that Congress should contest alone; however, no final decision has been taken," said the senior Congress leader. A Mumbai Congress leader, who did not want to be named, said that the Delhi leadership is keen to see what the UBT Sena decides. "The party wants to wait till the UBT decides... If the UBT wants to have an alliance with Congress to take on BJP in the Mumbai civic elections, then we will have an alliance, overruling the Mumbai Congress leadership, in the interest of defeating BJP. However, if the UBT Sena is not willing to go with us, then we will contest alone. The final decision will be taken in Delhi," said the Congress leader.