Samajwadi Party’s big announcement: Will contest 150 seats alone in BMC elections

SP announces independent fight for Mumbai civic polls, snubbing MVA allies. Abu Azmi stresses communal harmony while accusing Congress of hypocrisy. The move signals SP’s bid to expand influence in Maharashtra politics amid shifting alliances.

New Delhi: There has been a new turn in the politics of Maharashtra when the Samajwadi Party (SP) announced it would contest alone in the upcoming elections of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Addressing a press conference at Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi on Tuesday, Maharashtra SP President and Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar MLA Abu Azmi made this announcement.

He made it clear that the party will contest on its own 150 seats of BMC.

Setback for Mahavikas Aghadi

This decision of SP is a big setback for the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, as the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) included in this alliance are part of the same India Alliance, in which SP is also included. However, SP has now created new confusion in political alliances by deciding to contest alone.

SP ideology: Against communalism

Abu Azmi clarified the SP ideology in his address and said that their main objective is to promote communal harmony in the country. He said, "We want Hindus and Muslims to live together in brotherhood. There should be azan in the mosque, puja in the temple, and everyone should sing 'Saare Jahan Se Achcha Hindustan Hamara.'" He alleged that the present government wants to break this harmony.

Congress accused of double standards

Questioning Raj Thackeray's controversial statements and the Congress' stand, Azmi accused the Congress of double standards. He said, "When Raj Thackeray made controversial statements on the loudspeaker controversy, the Congress opposed him. But today the same Congress is with Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray. This is double standards. When our issues come up, they remain silent."

SP's independent strategy

This decision of SP shows that it wants to make its strong presence felt in Maharashtra. By contesting the BMC elections alone, the party has made it clear that it does not want to depend on any alliance.

This move can change the political equations in the upcoming elections, especially in an important city like Mumbai, where SP has so far been contesting elections in alliance with big parties. Now it has to be seen whether SP is able to make its place in Mumbai politics with this strategy.