Maharashtra: 80 lakh women found ineligible for Ladki Bahin scheme
The Opposition parties have alleged that the Devendra Fadnavis-led government was weeding out large number of beneficiaries due to a "severe financial crisis".
Senior Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray here on Friday at his Bandra East ‘Matoshree’ residence to explore the possibility of an alliance to contest the forthcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election scheduled to be held on January 15, 2026.
After a two-hour-long detailed discussion, senior Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jayant Patil told media persons that “Our discussions are going on. I came to discuss an alliance with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. A lot of discussions took place, though we have not reached a conclusion yet. We are a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Therefore, we are trying to form an alliance with Shiv Sena in Mumbai. But we have not concluded our discussions yet”.
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“We (Sharad Pawar-led NCP) are of the opinion that the Congress, the Shiv Sena and Maha Vikas Aghadi parties should come together in Mumbai. Our party does not have as much strength as the Congress and the Shiv Sena in Mumbai city. Therefore, our discussions with Shiv Sena are going on,” Jayant Patil said.
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“We had positive discussions. Some Sharad Pawar-led NCP corporators had won in the last election. We demanded that those seats be vacated so that our candidates can contest from these seats. We will respond after our discussions are completed,” Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jayant Patil said.
“We are trying to fight together as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in as many municipal elections as possible. Our leader Sharad Pawar has ordered local leaders of all areas to decide with whom to ally with, in order to contest the elections, after looking at the situation at the local level,” Patil said.
Dismissing claims being made that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP is likely to join hands with the BJP-led NDA, Jayant Patil said that “Some people are trying to question our credibility. There is no truth in such claims”.
Patil said that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP is trying to contest the municipal elections with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) led by the Congress, and he hoped that his party would be successful in doing so.
“The Congress is a component of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), and hence our party’s discussions are also underway with them as well,” Jayant Patil said.
According to sources, the Thackeray cousins and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP face a dilemma regarding four municipal corporation wards in the Vikhroli-Bhandup suburban area. It is learnt that alliance talks between the two sides have gotten stuck due to differences over these four municipal wards.
The latest meeting between Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and senior Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jayant Patil was aimed at resolving these differences, sources said.
According to sources, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP wants Ward Number 111 for its Dhananjay Pisal and is keen on Ward Number 119 for its candidate Manisha Rahate, since both these leaders were elected from these wards earlier.
However, Ward Number 119 has been allotted to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) as per the seat-sharing formula discussed between the Thackeray cousins. This has not gone down well with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, which has requested the Thackeray cousins to reconsider their decision.
Besides, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has also claimed Ward Number 124 and Ward Number 168, because in the 2017 municipal elections, NCP corporators were elected from these wards. Since these Sharad Pawar-led corporators joined other parties, discussion about these wards has also intensified.
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