Congress forms key panels to strengthen party ahead of Maharashtra civic polls

Facing a crucial test ahead of Maharashtra local body elections the Congress is working to rebuild its organisation and reconnect with urban voters especially ahead of the BMC pollsIn preparation for the polls the party has formed several committees to strengthen coordination and streamline its election strategyAccording to the PTI former minister Suresh Shetty will head the manifesto committee while party spokesperson Sureshchandra Rajhans will lead the war room MLA Amin Patel has been appointed chief of the election campaign committee senior leader Manhas Singh will chair the election management committee and BK Tiwari will oversee the disciplinary committee the party said in a statementMumbai Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad expressed confidence that the newly formed teams would work collectively to ensure a strong performance in the civic polls Party insiders said the committees will focus on drafting the poll manifesto planning outreach campaigns and maintaining internal discipline and communication as per the PTIOnce a dominant force in Mumbai politics the Congress has steadily lost ground over the past decade In the 2017 BMC elections the party secured only 30 of the 227 seats Its decline has continued since 2014 with poor results in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections In the 2024 state elections it managed to win only 16 of the 101 seats it contestedAnalysts say the Mumbai Congress remains fragmented with groups loyal to former city presidents and senior leaders pulling in different directions The partyrsquos immediate task they note is to reconnect with urban and middleclass voters and counter the perception of being overshadowed by its Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA allies Shiv Sena UBTand NCP SP the news agency reportedCongress leaders said that the party plans to focus its campaign on civic mismanagement housing inflation unemployment and corruption in civic contracts while also highlighting what it calls the ruling alliancersquos failure to address traffic flooding and poor infrastructure in Mumbai as per the PTISeatsharing discussions within the MVA are expected to be a major test with the Shiv Sena UBT seeking to retain control and the Sharad Pawarled NCP pushing for greater urban presence Congress negotiators however insist they deserve a ldquofair sharerdquo of wardsSome Congress leaders have reportedly voiced discomfort with the idea of aligning with the Raj Thackerayled Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS given its history of aggressive antiNorth Indian politicsBeyond Mumbai the party has entrusted senior vice president Mohan Joshi to oversee election preparedness across Maharashtrarsquos 28 municipal corporations excluding the state capital He will coordinate with district and local leaders to strengthen the partyrsquos urban base and ensure effective poll strategiesThe first phase of local body elections covering municipal councils and nagar panchayats will take place on December 2 while polling for zilla parishads and municipal corporations including the BMC will be completed by January 31 2026 in line with a Supreme Court directivewith PTI inputs