Mumbai, December 31 (NationPress) A thrilling battle is anticipated in approximately 32 out of the 227 seats of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), where the BJP-led alliance with the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena faces off against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) alongside the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). This intense rivalry arises as no formidable third-party candidates are believed to be contesting in these regions.

Sources indicate that the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Prakash Ambedkar, encountered challenges in selecting candidates for 21 of the 62 seats assigned by the Congress as part of their seat-sharing pact in Mumbai. According to party insiders, the VBA is reluctant to field weak candidates just to occupy slots, and some constituencies faced complications with incomplete paperwork.

Consequently, the VBA notified Congress on Tuesday morning that it would only contest five of those 21 seats, granting Congress the freedom to allocate tickets to its candidates in the remaining 16 regions. Up to now, the Congress has officially declared 143 candidates in Mumbai. With the VBA contesting 46 seats and six seats designated for other allies like the Left parties and the Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP), the Congress-led coalition is competing in 195 seats altogether.

As a result, the remaining 32 seats are not projected to see a fragmentation of anti-BJP votes. A senior leader from Shiv Sena (UBT) stated, “This may favor the Thackerays, as there will not be a division in the anti-BJP vote within these constituencies.” However, he noted that the final outcome would become more apparent only after the nomination papers are scrutinized.

In the meantime, both the Congress and the VBA refuted claims of discord within the Mumbai alliance, which arose amid speculation regarding the 16 seats from the VBA’s allotment where it is not contesting. Mumbai Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant affirmed, “There has been no rift among the allies.” He added, “Since our alliance was announced, the ruling parties have been losing momentum. There is absolutely no dispute between us, and our workers and leaders maintain constant communication without any issues.”

The VBA also rejected the rumors, with party spokesperson Siddharth Mokle stating that these claims are being propagated by ruling factions. “The Congress was informed ahead of time that VBA would not contest in those 16 seats. The Congress took necessary measures, and once the nomination scrutiny is concluded, the truth will be evident to all,” he mentioned.

In the upcoming BMC elections set for January 15, the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are contesting 137 and 90 seats, respectively. In contrast, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is running in 163 seats, the MNS in 53 seats, and the NCP (SP) in 11 seats.