Sharad Pawar Clarifies INDIA Bloc’s Focus, Shiv Sena (UBT) Opts for Solo Run in Local Polls

Sharad Pawar clarifies INDIA bloc’s national focus, Shiv Sena (UBT) contests Maharashtra local polls solo

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has clarified that the INDIA bloc of opposition parties is focused solely on national-level elections, amid the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)’s decision to contest local body polls in Maharashtra independently. This has sparked speculations about the unity of the anti-BJP alliance.

Pawar stated on Tuesday that the INDIA alliance, formed to counter the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, has never deliberated on strategies for state or local elections. “The INDIA alliance is for national-level elections only. Decisions about municipal polls in Maharashtra will be made after discussions in the coming days,” he said.

The remarks follow the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s announcement on Saturday to contest Maharashtra’s local body elections solo. Senior party leader Sanjay Raut explained that the decision was driven by the need to provide party workers with better opportunities and to facilitate the growth of the organisation. Raut added that alliances often limit grassroots workers’ scope for participation, prompting the decision to fight independently in municipal corporations, zilla parishads, and panchayats across the state.

The Sena (UBT)’s solo run comes shortly after extending support to Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Delhi assembly election, signaling a focus on distinct political strategies at the state level.

Leaders within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP, expressed concerns about the potential impact of the Sena’s move on the alliance’s prospects in Maharashtra. Congress leaders indicated that their central leadership would make the final call on whether to contest the local polls jointly or independently.

Raut, however, dismissed any speculation about the disbandment of either the INDIA bloc or the MVA. He emphasized that the local elections are aimed at empowering party workers and strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level, without undermining the alliances’ objectives for the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.

The evolving dynamics in Maharashtra underline the complexity of balancing alliances while maintaining party autonomy at different electoral levels.

We’re now on WhatsApp. Click to join. 

Register at One World News to never miss out on videos, celeb interviews, and best reads.