The Congress-led alliance has hit a major roadblock ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in Mumbai. The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Prakash Ambedkar, has failed to finalise candidates for 16 of the seats allocated to it in the city. Sources reveal that under the seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress, the VBA was allotted a total of 62 seats in Mumbai. However, a shortage of suitable candidates and incomplete documentation of several potential nominees prevented the VBA from filing nominations on 16 of those seats.
Reports suggest that the VBA has informed the Congress leadership that it is unable to contest these 16 seats and that the Congress may field its own candidates there. Following this development, the Congress has strengthened its list of nominees for Mumbai.
Congress expands list as VBA contests fewer seats
So far, the Congress has announced 143 candidates in Mumbai. The VBA is contesting on 46 seats. Additionally, some seats from the alliance have been allotted to other partner parties such as Left groups and the Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP). Together, the Congress, VBA and other allies are contesting a total of 195 seats.
Congress responds on the matter
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant commented on the situation, saying, "We had given them 62 seats. We both entered this alliance. When they could not find some candidates, they returned a few seats to us. Such things happen during elections." Sawant added that the final clarity on the number of candidates the party has been able to field will only emerge once the list is released later today. "Since very little time was left, the final list going out today will show how many candidates we could announce. We will move ahead in complete coordination with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi."
He further stated that clarity on the status of several seats is expected by this evening. "Once we know the situation today, we can take political decisions tomorrow," he said. Speaking on the seats returned by the VBA, Sawant remarked, "They will be able to explain the circumstances due to which they had to return the seats. Challenges like these do arise during elections. But now that both parties have committed to contesting the elections together, the challenges are shared. We will try our best to overcome them."
Final seat-sharing formula expected today
The final clarity on the seat-sharing formula between the Congress and the VBA in Mumbai is expected by Friday evening. As per the initial arrangement, the Congress was slated to contest 150 seats while the VBA was to fight on 62 seats.
BMC polls 2026
It's worth noting here that a training camp was also organised for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials and other workers who will be on duty for the BMC polling on January 15 in Mumbai. The Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the BMC, Pune Municipal Corporation, and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Mumbai will see polling across 227 electoral wards on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. The last date for filing nominations is December 30.
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