The Congress party on Monday put out its first list of 70 candidates for the January 15 elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The list comes just a day before the deadline for filing nominations ends.
The list came a day after the national party sealed a seat pact with the (VBA), led by former MP Prakash Ambedkar, for polls to the 227-member BMC – India’s biggest and richest civic body with an annual budget of more than ₹74,000 crore.
The VBA is contesting 62 seats in alliance with the Congress.
Former Maharashtra minister Mahadev Jankar’s Rashtriya Samaj Paksh (RSP), contesting the BMC polls in alliance with Congress, also announced its first list of six candidates.
When is BMC election?
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nagpur, will be held on January 15 and votes will be counted the next day. The last date for filing nominations is December 30.
The BJP and the Shiv Sena will contest the BMC elections as part of ruling alliance – Mahayuti. Under the agreed seat-sharing formula, the BJP will contest 128 seats, while the Shiv Sena will field candidates in 79 seats, and the remaining seats’ distribution will be decided based on candidates and local equations.
BJP releases list too
The BJP released its first list of 66 candidates for the 227-member civic body. The list includes a mix of new candidates, women contenders and a limited number of experienced leaders.
The Congress party’s timely announcement of candidates reflects its strategic alliances aimed at maximizing electoral success.
The Nationalist Congress Party (SP), led by former Union minister Sharad Pawar, declared its candidates for seven seats. The party, a constituent of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), hasn’t forged an alliance with any other political outfit in Mumbai.
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