Bihar defeat sparks big Congress decision in Maharashtra, blow to Pawar and Uddhav camp, decides to… News24 –

Following the unexpected defeat in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections, several developments are taking place within the Congress. Preparations for the upcoming civic elections are underway in Maharashtra. Amidst this, the Congress has announced that it will not contest the elections in alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Congress-in-charge Ramesh Chennithala made a significant statement regarding this, asserting that the Mumbai Congress will contest the BMC elections alone and will field candidates in all 227 seats.

What’s the big decision?

On Saturday, the Mumbai Congress held a “Lakshya 2026” camp in Malad regarding the BMC elections. Several Congress leaders attended the camp and discussed various issues. The biggest announcement from the camp was that the Congress would now follow the “Ekala Chalo” policy which means move alone. “Since these are local body elections, we respect the opinion of our local units. As the Mumbai unit has expressed its desire to contest independently, the party has decided to go solo in BMC. We will field candidates for all 227 seats,” said Chennithala. Analysts believe that this decision is a major blow to Uddhav Thackeray and NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, who had wanted to form a united front against the Mahayuti (Grand Alliance) in the BMC elections.

Why the decision?

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Kishori Pednekar said that the Congress’s decision to go its separate way is linked to its defeat in Bihar. She added that whether this decision is right or wrong will become clear in the coming days. Mumbai Regional Congress Committee president and MP Varsha Gaikwad also made a significant announcement at the camp. She said that the Congress could contest the BMC elections jointly with like-minded smaller parties.

During the event, Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal tried to boost the morale of the party workers. He said that there is no need to be disappointed by the results in Bihar and that the Congress should put in its full strength to raise the party’s flag in the BMC elections.

Congress wins six seats

NDA registered a landslide victory in the recently concluded Bihar assembly elections, winning 202 of the 243 seats in the state. The Grand Alliance could manage only 35, with the Congress winning only six seats.