Rajya Sabha MP and senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut clarified that alliances like the INDIA bloc and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) were formed for larger elections such as the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, not for local bodies.
“In alliances, party workers don’t get opportunities, which affects organisational growth. We will contest elections to the municipal corporations of Mumbai, Thane, and Nagpur, as well as zilla parishads and panchayats, on our own strength,” Raut said, emphasising that Uddhav Thackeray, the party chief, had already signalled this move.
Discord over alliance dynamics
Raut also criticised Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar for blaming the MVA for its loss in the state assembly. “Those unwilling to foster consensus and compromise should not remain in alliances,” he said.
The INDIA bloc’s lack of coordination was another point of contention. According to Raut, the alliance had failed to hold a single meeting after the Lok Sabha elections, and even appointing a convenor remained unresolved. “As the largest party in the alliance, Congress had the responsibility to convene meetings, which they failed to do,” he remarked.
Taking a dig at Ajit Pawar and PM Modi
On Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s claim that he never promised farm loan waivers, Raut said the BJP’s manifesto explicitly mentions farm loan waivers and a ₹2,100 monthly allowance for Laadki Bahin beneficiaries. “He is the finance minister in a BJP-led government, and he is obligated to fulfil these promises,” Raut said.
In a scathing response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in his podcast about being human and capable of making mistakes, Raut quipped, “I don’t consider him human; he is god. If someone says he is the 13th avatar of Vishnu and then claims to be human, something is amiss. It’s a chemical locha.”
