Mumbai: Varsha Gaikwad meets Sharad Pawar; discusses BMC elections

Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad on Wednesday met NCP Sharad Pawar chief Sharad Pawar to discuss the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC electionsThe Congress has announced that it will contest the civic polls independently while keeping the door open for ldquolikemindedrdquo parties Speaking to PTI Gaikwad described Pawar as a ldquonatural allyrdquo of the CongressldquoHe is a senior leader and I met him to discuss the civic polls and request him to join us The BMC elections are important for party workers which is why the Congress has decided to go solordquo she saidGaikwad added that the Congress and NCP had previously contested the Mumbai civic polls together and expressed hope of forging a joint front again ldquoAs parties that uphold democratic values and the Constitution we hope to contest this election jointly once again We had a positive discussion with Sharad Pawar today and further talks will be held next weekrdquo she saidShe emphasised that the election should focus on core civic concerns such as traffic congestion poor road conditions education water supply pollution and corruption ldquoThis election should not be fought on the basis of religion caste or language Mumbai welcomes people from across India and everyone contributes to its growthrdquo Gaikwad saidCommenting on recent political developments she added ldquoWe extend our best wishes to the Thackeray cousins for coming together However no discussion regarding an alliance has taken place with them We cannot align with those who take the law into their own handsrdquoGaikwad also hit back at BJP leader Ashish Shelar for criticising the Congressrsquo strategy ldquoThe Congress does not need advice from Ashish Shelar We are an independent and capable party He should focus on managing his own party instead of commenting on usrdquo she saidThe elections to the 227member cashrich BMC are expected to be held in January 2026 In the 2017 civic polls the Congress had won just 30 seatsThe Congress and NCP SP are partners in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA which also includes the Shiv Sena UBT On Tuesday the Uddhav Thackerayled party urged the Congress to reconsider its solo plan warning that such a move would weaken the MVA and benefit the BJPIn an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana the Sena UBT cited Rahul Gandhirsquos comments on ldquoteaching a lessonrdquo to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar arguing that such a lesson could be delivered only through opposition unity The editorial also dismissed concerns that including the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in the alliance could dent the Congressrsquo north Indian or Muslim voter base pointing out that the party suffered a rout in Bihar where neither the Sena UBT nor the MNS contestedWith inputs from PTI