Overview
- Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad led a delegation to meet NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, calling him a natural ally even as the party maintains a public plan to contest the BMC on its own.
- Pawar agreed to hold a joint meeting with his party’s Mumbai unit and the Congress next week, with Congress sources indicating a willingness to offer roughly 15 seats to the NCP (SP).
- Sena (UBT) has urged Congress to drop its solo stance as it explores a seat pact with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, while Congress signalled it will not align with groups it says take the law into their own hands.
- Deputy CM Eknath Shinde met Amit Shah in Delhi and, according to PTI-sourced accounts, flagged that some Mahayuti leaders were harming the alliance and poaching Shiv Sena members; a temporary truce urged partners to stop inducting each other’s cadres.
- Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel met CM Devendra Fadnavis to strengthen BJP–NCP coordination ahead of December 2 municipal council and nagar panchayat polls, with municipal corporation elections including the BMC expected in January 2026 and three-cornered contests likely in places such as Baramati.