Congress names 40-star campaigners for polling to 29 civic bodies

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Tuesday announced the list of 40-star campaigners for the polling to the 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The list, submitted to the State Election Commission, features a blend of national heavyweights and prominent state leaders to spearhead the party’s campaign.

The Congress party’s move comes when it has decided to go solo in Mumbai, strongly opposing the “inclusion” of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

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However, Congress is in favour of contesting the BMC elections without MNS. In the rest of civic bodies, Congress wants to stitch an alliance with like-minded parties and MVA allies to take on the BJP.

The campaign will be led by top state and national figures, focusing on reclaiming the party’s influence in major urban centres.

The list of national leaders includes Ramesh Chennithala, Sachin Pilot, Mohammad Azharuddin, Imran Pratapgarhi, and Raj Babbar, while the state leadership features MPCC President Harshwardhan Sapkal, Vijay Wadettiwar, Prithviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, and Nana Patole.

The regional strongmen include influential leaders like Satej (Bunty) Patil, Vishwajeet Kadam, Amit Deshmukh, and Yashomati Thakur, who have been tasked with securing their respective strongholds.

The party has also included younger leaders and diverse representatives such as Praniti Shinde, Kanhaiya Kumar, Jignesh Mevani, and Amin Patel.

The announcement follows the State Election Commission’s recent notification for elections to 29 municipal bodies, including the high-stakes BMC.

Voting is scheduled for January 15, with results to be declared on January 16.

The State Election Commission recently allowed parties to increase their number of star campaigners from 20 to 40, a provision Congress has fully utilised to cover the vast electoral landscape.

While the BMC remains a primary battlefield, the party is deploying these leaders across other major corporations, including Pune, Nashik, Thane, and Nagpur, to counter the ruling Mahayuti alliance.