Mumbai, Nov 20 (NationPress) The chief of the Maharashtra Samajwadi Party (SP), Abu Azmi, has criticized the Congress party, stating that its arrogance is leading to its decline and that it lacks a stable vote bank now. During a press conference held on Wednesday, Azmi revealed that the SP will participate independently in the forthcoming local body elections in Mumbai, with plans to nominate candidates for 150 out of the 227 seats available in the BMC elections.

Azmi accused Congress of consistently assuming a dominant role in alliances and mentioned that in previous instances, it has exited partnerships just before finalizing seat-sharing arrangements. He stated, “Akhilesh Yadav formed an alliance very carefully, and we did well... However, Congress is facing the consequences of its own actions. Look at their condition… Congress' arrogance is pulling it down. What does it do in the name of contesting for minorities? The party no longer has a stable vote bank. Despite being a national party, its role in the alliance is also not satisfactory,” Azmi expressed to the media.

Reaffirming his choice to run without any coalition, Azmi remarked that previous alliances only resulted in betrayal. He emphasized that while the SP aspires for all secular forces to unite to avert vote-splitting, larger parties “only know how to take and do not know how to give.”

Furthermore, Azmi accused the BJP-led Maharashtra government of unfairly allocating funds, asserting, “If you join hands with Eknath Shinde or Ajit Pawar, their people get funds. Shivajinagar-Govandi gets the least money,” referring to his own Assembly constituency.

He also targeted Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), claiming that the MNS insults North Indians, and cautioned that any party collaborating with the MNS would face electoral challenges.

Describing the Samajwadi Party as a “movement,” Azmi stated that the party represents “the poor, the backward and the voiceless” and vowed to continue its struggle independently.