From Dadar To Reshimbagh, Political Groundwork Begins For Maharashtra Civic Polls

NDTV

a day ago

Mumbai:
As civic polls draw near in Maharashtra, political parties have shifted into full gear, holding internal meetings, strategy camps, and grassroots outreach programmes - some across the state, others concentrated in their traditional strongholds.
While the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) remains intact at the state level, there is still no clarity on whether the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Congress will contest the municipal elections together. On the ground, however, each party is mobilising its cadre independently.
On the other side, the Mahayuti alliance has signalled its intention to work together where necessary, but has also underlined that individual parties will prioritise giving opportunities to their local workers.
NCP (Sharad Pawar) Holds 'Sankalp Shibir' In Mumbai
Five days after its grand celebration marking 26 years since its founding, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) held a day-long Sankalp Shibir in Mumbai's Ghatkopar. The event was widely seen as an effort to assert the party's presence in Mumbai - a city where it has limited electoral strength on its own. But as youth wing leader Fahadh Ahmed put it, "We will make sure the Mayor of the city is made with the help of NCP (SP)."
Sharad Pawar addressed party functionaries from Mumbai, urging them to stay united and prepare for the political struggle ahead.
"This camp has been organised today to prepare collectively for the upcoming political struggle," he said. Reflecting on recent election results, he added, "We saw good success in the Lok Sabha elections, but the same was not reflected in the Vidhan Sabha."
Mr Pawar acknowledged public suspicion around the electoral process and emphasised that local leaders must take the lead: "We are preparing to face the Mumbai municipal elections... Whatever decision Rakhi Jadhav takes, we will stand firmly behind her."
The party has launched a new ideological slogan - "Tukaram vs Nathuram" - to underscore its message ahead of the campaign. The shibir is also seen as a response to recent local-level defections to the rival NCP faction.
Jayant Patil, meanwhile, attacked the BJP for allegedly shifting key projects out of Mumbai.
"The IFSC Centre planned for BKC was shifted overnight to Gujarat... the National Marine Police Security and NSG centres were also moved," he said.
Mr Patil alleged attempts to weaken Mumbai financially, claiming the patent office headquarters had been moved to Delhi.
He also criticised the state government and BMC over stalled civic works and waterlogging issues.
"Despite Rs 1,000 crore spent, the city continues to face waterlogging," he said, adding that BEST's fleet had reduced drastically even as ticket prices rose.
Mr Patil called on workers to prepare for elections at the ward level, stressing the need for new faces and active social media engagement. "We haven't decided on MVA yet - we may fight together or separately," he said, adding that internal groundwork must begin regardless.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Pushes Grassroots Preparedness
Shiv Sena (UBT), a key MVA partner, has also begun preparations with a meeting of all Shakha Pramukhs. Party leader Uddhav Thackeray took stock of organisational readiness and instructed local heads to start immediate outreach.
Each ward-level leader has been directed to reach out to at least 300 households, strengthen booth-level structures, and highlight the difference between the party's past governance and the current administration.
With BMC elections happening after seven years, the party is aiming for a complete majority and a symbolic "saffron flag over the corporation." Internal meetings, voter list audits, inter-shakha coordination, and field visits by deputy mayor-responsible units are now underway. The party is focusing on its past governance record - particularly in water supply, health, sanitation, education, and the delivery of major projects like the Coastal Road.
BJP-RSS Coordination Meeting Focuses On Cadre Training
On the other side, BJP leaders including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule attended a lengthy coordination meeting with the RSS at Smriti Mandir in Nagpur.
The meeting, which lasted for over four hours, included detailed discussions on how to prepare party workers for the upcoming local body elections.
A key focus was the "Ghar Chalo" campaign - an outreach effort to take state and central schemes to every household. Training BJP workers on scheme delivery and communication was prioritised, with an emphasis on public awareness.
Given that this year marks the RSS centenary, the gathering also deliberated on "Panch Parivartan" (Five Transformations) including social harmony, citizen duties, family values, environmental consciousness, and Sanskrit promotion. Upcoming programmes like "Yuva Samvad" (Youth Dialogue) and continued cadre strengthening were also discussed.