Maharashtra Congress Committee President Harshwardhan Sapkal addresses a press conference in Mumbai. | Photo credit: PTI
With the buzz growing over a possible political alliance between the Thackeray cousins, the Maharashtra Congress has expressed its reluctance to tie up with any party that has a polarizing agenda.
Constitutional values and secularism are non-negotiable for the Congress, the party’s state chief Harshwardhan Sapkal told The Hindu when asked about the possibility of a partnership with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Raj Thackeray. “We are strictly against polarization… If anyone wants to be part of the alliance, they will have to agree with the constitutional values,” he said, though he made it clear that no proposal has been made so far for the MNS to join the alliance.
He emphasized that any decision to partner with the MNS does not depend on the Congress alone, nor is it a challenge to the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the state-level alliance of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray. “If any new alliance partner is to be added to the political equation in Maharashtra, all parties in the INDIA bloc will have to sit together and take a call,” Mr. Sapkal urged.
The bonhomie of the Thackeray cousins
Mr. Sapkal’s remarks assume significance against the backdrop of growing closeness between Mr. Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Mr. Raj Thackeray ahead of the soon-to-be-announced local body elections in Maharashtra.
Mr Raj Thackeray recently shared the dais with all the Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders when they met the Election Commission officials to complain about the alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls. Two days later, the Thackeray cousins reunited for the inauguration of the Diwali program where both their families were seen together. Their growing bonhomie has led to speculation of a possible alliance between their parties for local polls.
“No Political Proposal”
Asked whether Congress would be open to a new alliance partner if the cousins come together for elections, Mr. Sapkal said, “It is not only Congress but INDIA block partners who will decide at the national level whether they want any new partner or not. Maha Vikas Aghadi is no longer there. We are INDIA block because there is no such discussion yet. If no such family of them meet yet. they are meeting, we have no problems with it. Congress promotes “Mohabbat ki dukaan (business of love)”. This is their personal relationship. Politically, there is no such proposal.”
The Maharashtra Congress chief pointed out that though the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress also espoused different ideologies, the two parties had come together on a common minimum programme.
Polarization unacceptable
“Our priority is constitutional values. We are against the basic ideology of BJP. Someone has to clean up their stance, then we can go ahead and talk. If they want to negotiate, they have to agree with constitutional values,” Sapkal said, laying down the ground rules for any alliance proposal. “Constitutional values are non-negotiable. We are strictly against polarization of votes on the basis of religion, caste, gender, geography, region, language. If anyone wants to polarize, we cannot tolerate it. It is mandatory for us to favor secularism. We are against such politics by default,” he said.
Several other Congress leaders have already expressed their concerns about an association with Mr Raj Thackeray due to his strong anti-migrant stance and statements seen as anti-Muslim. With elections coming up in Bihar, home to many migrant workers in Mumbai, Congress cadres and leadership in Maharashtra are not happy with the MNS getting involved.
Local alliance
The Congress also decided to allow its leadership at the district level to decide on local alliances for local votes. “The equations for local body elections are different. The Congress more than seven months ago had a common consensus in the party. All decisions should not be taken in Mumbai when it comes to local body elections. We need to decentralize decision-making. District units should take decisions,” Sapkal said. “We have taken this decision a long time ago. And we have communicated it to our alliance partners as well. We have spoken to party officials in each district. Alliances will take place only at the district level, not at the state level. Both options – pre-election and post-election (alliance) – are open,” he said.
He added that the local party units in Mumbai have expressed their desire to fight the local elections on their own. “We have to respect the sentiment of our cadres to fight the elections alone. The alliance has become a political force in Maharashtra. It’s either the chicken or the egg. There are six players in Maharashtra right now,” Sapkal said.
Published – 19 Oct 2025 20:26 IST
