Ahead of BMC Election 2026, Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal accused the BJP and CM Devendra Fadnavis of manipulative politics and electoral machinations. The BJP rejected the charges and asked Sapkal to address factionalism within his party

The move followed complaints by Opposition parties, which alleged that the timing of the proposed disbursal amounted to an inducement to women voters ahead of elections to 29 municipal corporations scheduled on January 15