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Speaking to reporters, Raut also said he spoke to the top Congress leadership and urged the party to contest the civic body elections as part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which he believes should also include the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
He said, however, that the Congress leadership has left the matter for the local leadership to decide.
Raut also said that elections will be held in 29 municipal corporations in the state, but the “real fight” is for Mumbai, which played a key role in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement.
Elections for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15.
These are the first municipal corporations after the split between Shiv Sena (2022) and Nationalist Congress Party (2023), a development that reshaped Maharashtra politics.
Read more: NCP will be kept out of BJP-Shiv Sena alliance to divide secular votes: Wadettiwar
Former CM Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS have shown warmth towards each other after facing defeat in the 2024 state elections, while the Congress has ruled out any compromise with Raj Thackeray’s party.
Responding to a question on the alliance, Raut said, “There is no problem in announcing the alliance (between Shiv Sena-UBT and MNS) in the coming week. Both the brothers, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, will be seen on the stage for the announcement.”
He said both the parties will come together for the civic polls in major cities like Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira Bhayandar, Pune and Nashik.
The Rajya Sabha member said the decision on tie-up in other municipal bodies will be taken by the local units.
Raut also met the MNS president on Tuesday (December 16), possibly to discuss various issues including seat sharing.
After their meeting, MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said meetings between the two parties would continue, but did not give further details.
“At the moment, Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are coming together,” Nandgaonkar said.
On alliance with Congress, Raut said, “I don’t think Congress will come together at this time. They should have been with us.” “I spoke to the party high command, but they have left the matter to be decided at the local level. Our appeal to the local Congress unit is not to do anything that will help the BJP,” he said.
People will not forget the stand taken by the Congress, the Sena (UBT) leader warned, keeping in mind that Lok Sabha and Assembly elections will also be held in the future.
Raut said he would also talk to NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, who is an MVA constituent.
NCP (SP) does not have a big role in Mumbai, but in other municipal bodies, Sharad Pawar’s party and Shiv Sena (UBT) should contest elections together.