Mumbai's BMC elections are witnessing a surprising development. Despite the formation of major political alliances, fifteen friendly fights are taking place across various wards. Political observers express concern that these internal contests could harm the prospects of the alliances in a closely fought election where every seat counts.
Alliances and Internal Conflicts
The BMC polls feature several key alliances. The BJP-Sena Mahayuti, Sena (UBT)-MNS-NCP(SP) combine, and the Congress-VBA partnership are all contesting. However, friendly fights are disrupting these groupings. Most of these conflicts occur within the Mahayuti alliance, involving BJP versus Sena and BJP-Sena versus RPI (A) candidates. One Congress versus VBA contest is also happening in Bhandup.
Reasons Behind the Friendly Fights
Observers point to multiple reasons for these internal contests. In some cases, disagreements over seat sharing during alliance negotiations led to conflicts. In other instances, parties might be employing a strategic move to split opposition votes and ensure victory for their preferred candidate.
The alliance talks faced significant delays due to hard bargaining between parties. Negotiations were not finalized by the time election announcements were made. This delay created confusion among candidates and voters alike.
Nomination Confusion and Consequences
The confusion extended to the nomination process. Major parties failed to officially announce their candidates even after the nomination filing deadline passed. As a result, Mahayuti candidates could not file nominations for four seats initially.
Later, multiple candidates from the same alliance filed nominations in several wards. Many of these candidates refused to withdraw from the race, leading to the current fifteen friendly fights. One political observer explained this situation clearly.
Ramdas Athawale's RPI (A) party illustrates this problem well. Although part of the Mahayuti alliance, RPI (A) has fielded official candidates in eleven wards. Five of these candidates are contesting against BJP nominees, while six are facing Shiv Sena opponents.
Specific Ward Contests
Assembly speaker and BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar made pointed comments about one contest. He claimed the Shiv Sena candidate in Colaba's Ward No 225 would lose by more than ten thousand votes. In this ward, Narwekar's sister-in-law Harshita Narwekar is facing Shiv Sena's Sujata Sanap.
Another interesting contest is unfolding in Ward No. 226. Here, Rahul Narwekar's brother Makarand Narwekar is contesting the election. However, Tejal, wife of Shiv Sena's zonal office-bearer Deepak Pawar, has filed her nomination as an independent candidate in the same ward.
Impact on Voters
The friendly fights have created an atmosphere of confusion among Mumbai voters. Despite political parties hammering together alliances, these internal conflicts are sending mixed signals. Voters now face the challenge of understanding which candidates truly represent their preferred alliances.
Political observers emphasize that every seat matters in these BMC elections. The friendly fights could potentially damage alliance prospects by splitting votes and weakening coordinated campaign efforts. The final impact will only become clear when election results are declared.
