Facing a crucial test ahead of Maharashtra local body elections, the Congress is working to rebuild its organisation and reconnect with urban voters especially ahead of the BMC polls.
In preparation for the polls, the party has formed several committees to strengthen coordination and streamline its election strategy.
According to the PTI, former minister Suresh Shetty will head the manifesto committee, while party spokesperson Sureshchandra Rajhans will lead the war room. MLA Amin Patel has been appointed chief of the election campaign committee, senior leader Manhas Singh will chair the election management committee, and B.K. Tiwari will oversee the disciplinary committee, the party said in a statement.
Mumbai Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad expressed confidence that the newly formed teams would work collectively to ensure a strong performance in the civic polls. Party insiders said the committees will focus on drafting the poll manifesto, planning outreach campaigns, and maintaining internal discipline and communication, as per the PTI.
Once a dominant force in Mumbai politics, the Congress has steadily lost ground over the past decade. In the 2017 BMC elections, the party secured only 30 of the 227 seats. Its decline has continued since 2014, with poor results in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. In the 2024 state elections, it managed to win only 16 of the 101 seats it contested.
Analysts say the Mumbai Congress remains fragmented, with groups loyal to former city presidents and senior leaders pulling in different directions. The party’s immediate task, they note, is to reconnect with urban and middle-class voters and counter the perception of being overshadowed by its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies — Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), the news agency reported.
Congress leaders said that the party plans to focus its campaign on civic mismanagement, housing, inflation, unemployment, and corruption in civic contracts, while also highlighting what it calls the ruling alliance’s failure to address traffic, flooding, and poor infrastructure in Mumbai, as per the PTI.
Seat-sharing discussions within the MVA are expected to be a major test, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) seeking to retain control and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP pushing for greater urban presence. Congress negotiators, however, insist they deserve a “fair share” of wards.
Some Congress leaders have reportedly voiced discomfort with the idea of aligning with the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), given its history of aggressive, anti-North Indian politics.
Beyond Mumbai, the party has entrusted senior vice president Mohan Joshi to oversee election preparedness across Maharashtra’s 28 municipal corporations, excluding the state capital. He will coordinate with district and local leaders to strengthen the party’s urban base and ensure effective poll strategies.
The first phase of local body elections, covering municipal councils and nagar panchayats, will take place on December 2, while polling for zilla parishads and municipal corporations — including the BMC — will be completed by January 31, 2026, in line with a Supreme Court directive.
(with PTI inputs)
