POLITICS

Is it advantageous for NDA to contest Maharashtra local body polls?

Following the Supreme Court’s go-ahead, Maharashtra is set to conduct local body elections across all levels—from municipal corporations to Panchayats. This development coincides with the Centre’s recent decision to include caste enumeration in the next Census, a move that could benefit the NDA, especially with the Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) facing their first elections after the split. CM Devendra Fadnavis confirmed that the Mahayuti alliance—comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—will contest the elections jointly. In contrast, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, consisting of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and the Congress, appears fragmented. Thackeray previously announced that his faction would contest the polls independently.