Uncertainty continues to cloud political alliances for the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, with both ruling and opposition parties requesting patience until November 17 - the final date for filing nominations - to understand the complete picture of electoral partnerships.
Fadnavis Calls for Patience Until Nomination Deadline
Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis addressed reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, emphasizing the localized nature of these elections. "This is not a state assembly election. This is a local election where local units have been asked to decide the candidature," Fadnavis stated.
The CM explained the complex alliance scenario, noting that "There are some places where the Mahayuti is fighting elections together, at some places two parties are together while at some no alliance has taken place." He assured that comprehensive information about alliances would only be available after Tuesday, November 17.
Election Schedule and Regional Variations
The Maharashtra State Election Commission announced the schedule for elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats in the first week of November. Voting is scheduled for December 2, with counting to follow on December 3.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance has already shown significant cracks, with the BJP and the Nationalist Congress Party led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar forming alliances in some areas, while excluding Shiva Sena led by another Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
Regional alliance patterns reveal a fragmented political landscape:
- In Dharashiv district of Marathwada region, the Mahayuti plans to contest unitedly
- Solapur witnesses BJP going solo against the dominant Mohite-Patil family
- Nashik sees BJP allying with Shinde-led Sena, keeping NCP out
- Bhandara in Vidarbha features all parties contesting independently
- Chandgad in Kolhapur shows NCP aligning with opposition NCP (SP)
Opposition Strategy and Local Autonomy
Opposition parties have adopted similar approaches, granting significant autonomy to local units in alliance decisions. NCP (SP) working president and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule echoed Fadnavis's timeline, stating that the clear picture would emerge after November 17.
"Our president Sharad Pawar has clarified that this is a local election and local units have been authorised to take a decision based on the local conditions. The fronts and alliances will be formed at that level," Sule explained.
The Congress party has instructed its local units to form alliances with any party except those from the Mahayuti coalition. State Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal confirmed that "We have already given the authority to our local party workers to form an alliance as per the local condition. The only condition is that the ally must not be from the Mahayuti."
The party has already established partnerships with Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in Nanded, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Buldhana, and with Rashtriya Samaj Party led by Dhangar leader Mahadev Jankar in Satara.
As the nomination deadline approaches, political observers await the final alliance configurations that will shape the December 2 local body elections across Maharashtra's numerous municipal councils and nagar panchayats.
