In a significant setback for the Mumbai Congress, senior leader and Leader of Opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Ravi Raja, has officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His move comes just weeks before the Maharashtra Assembly elections, set for November 20, with counting scheduled for November 23. The announcement was made in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Ravi Raja?s decision to switch allegiances follows his dissatisfaction over not being granted a ticket for the Sion-Koliwada assembly seat. With over 44 years of service to the Congress party, Raja expressed his disappointment in a resignation letter posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). He stated, ?Since 1980 as a Youth Congress Member, I have served the party with utmost sincerity and dedication. Today, I am made to believe that my 44 years of service for the Congress party is not respected, and hence I take this decision of resigning from my party post.?
This development adds to the already charged atmosphere surrounding the upcoming elections, which are characterized by intense competition between two major alliances: the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the ruling Mahayuti coalition. The MVA comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar. In contrast, the Mahayuti coalition includes the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP, and the NCP faction headed by Ajit Pawar.
As the electoral landscape shifts, both alliances have faced challenges, including internal discontent and protests over candidate nominations. The BJP has voiced strong opposition to the candidacy of Nawab Malik from the NCP (Ajit Pawar) for the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency. Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the BJP's Maharashtra state president, stated, ?Nawab Malik should accept our wishes on his candidature from NCP. We are firm on our view about Nawab Malik, as Devendra ji had said initially.?
Additionally, the MVA coalition is grappling with dissent among its members regarding seat-sharing arrangements. Ramesh Chennithala, the Congress in-charge for Maharashtra, recently urged party members who have filed independent nominations to withdraw their candidacies. ?We have given 'A' & 'B' forms only to those candidates whose names have been announced by the party. Those Congress leaders who have filed nominations independently should withdraw their nominations,? he asserted.
As the Maharashtra Assembly elections approach, the fallout from Ravi Raja's defection underscores the growing tensions within the Congress party and the competitive nature of the electoral battle ahead.
