Congress leader expresses reluctance to include MNS in Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance

Maharashtra Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal expressed his reservations on Tuesday about including Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena (MNS) into the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition alliance.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Sapkal said, “Our negotiations will be held at the local level. Therefore, our local leadership at the district, block, and municipal levels will make decisions. We have left all these matters to their decision. Therefore, Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MNS) do not need a constituent party”.

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Sapkal’s statement came a day after Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief party spokesperson Sanjay Raut said on Monday that talks are on to include the MNS in the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

“There is a Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, and (Uddhav-led) Shiv Sena is one of its main constituents. Therefore, we are considering if a new party (MNS) can be accommodated in the MVA. Let’s keep a different calculation in mind for local self-government bodies. Also, I am not the only one who has the right to tell Raj Thackeray that the doors of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are open. There are three parties in the MVA. Leaders of other MVA parties have good relations with Raj Thackeray,” Sanjay Raut had said.

“We have to sit together and decide who can be accommodated. This is not a simple process. There are different calculations in every place in Maharashtra. We will have to take the MVA along. Where there is only Shiv Sena, MNS, Congress of (Sharad Pawar-led) NCP, we will have to sit down and work with each of them in that area and decide the benefits and formula,” Raut had said.

Shortly after Maharashtra Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal expressed his reservations on Tuesday about including Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) into the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition alliance, MNS leader Avinash Abhyankar reacted by saying, “Who went to the Congress party to seek permission to include MNS in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)? Nobody from the MNS went to them, I do not know what exactly Harshvardhan Sapkal said, but as far as the MNS is concerned, Raj Thackeray will take the final decision”.

When Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief party spokesperson Sanjay Raut was asked to react to Maharashtra Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal’s statement, Raut said, “Harshvardhan Sapkal is the Maharashtra state president of the Congress. But basically, there has been no such discussion in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regarding the municipal elections. Therefore, we will see about it after such a discussion takes place”.

Another Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader and MLA, Sachin Ahir, also downplayed Maharashtra Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal’s statement by saying, “The Congress party is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, and they have the right to express their opinion. However, if we carefully examine Harshvardhan Sapkal’s words, we will notice that he has said that there will be a discussion at the local level regarding the decision to include MNS. The fact that there is no alliance at the local level at present does not mean that the Congress will quit Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)”.

“Uddhav Thackeray, Congress leaders, and (Sharad Pawar-led) NCP leaders will sit and decide about this. The position of Uddhav Thackeray is that Marathi votes should not be divided in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Nashik. However, the decision whether the Congress will contest on its own in Pune and Thane will be taken by senior leaders,” Ahir said.