Mumbai: Congress says it will fight all 236 BMC seats on its own – Times of India

MUMBAI: The Congress on Tuesday said that it will fight the upcoming BMC elections alone and field candidates for all 236 seats. Mumbai Congress chief Bhai Jagtap made the announcement while speaking at the Congress’s 137th foundation day celebrations on Tuesday.
“137 is not just a number, it is a legacy of Congress’s thinking, which is still ingrained in the minds of people of the country. The Congress was formed in 1885 at Tejpal Hall. From Womesh Chandra Banerjee and Dadabhai Naoroji to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, there have been 60 Congress presidents till date. Mahatma Gandhi’s slogan of ‘Quit India’ was also given from August Kranti Maidan in front of the premises of Tejpal Hall. Now we want to make another resolution from this hall. In the forthcoming BMC elections, Congress will contest 236 seats in Mumbai on its own and will once again fly the Congress tricolour over the BMC,” Jagtap said.
Despite the success of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the recent rural local body polls, the Shiv Sena too is set to go it alone in the BMC elections. The party which has ruled the BMC for over two decades is preparing to fight over 200 seats and expand its base in Mumbai. However, political analysts said the Sena may have an alliance with the NCP since the party may ask for a small chunk of seats compared to the Congress. The NCP currently has just 8 corporators in the BMC. The Congress has 28 corporators and is the principal opposition party in the BMC. Sena strategists have said that instead of a formal alliance, the party may have an ‘understanding’ with the Congress in key areas to defeat the BJP.