The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has revealed a list of 40 star campaigners for the upcoming polling in 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). This list, submitted to the State Election Commission, comprises a mix of national heavyweights and prominent state leaders who will lead the party’s campaign efforts. The Congress party has decided to contest the BMC elections independently, opposing the participation of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
The party aims to form alliances with like-minded parties and MVA allies in other civic bodies to challenge the BJP. The campaign will be spearheaded by top state and national figures with a focus on regaining the party’s influence in major urban centers. National leaders such as Ramesh Chennithala, Sachin Pilot, Mohammad Azharuddin, Imran Pratapgarhi, and Raj Babbar are included in the list, along with state leaders like MPCC President Harshwardhan Sapkal, Vijay Wadettiwar, Prithviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, and Nana Patole.
Regional leaders like Satej (Bunty) Patil, Vishwajeet Kadam, Amit Deshmukh, and Yashomati Thakur have been assigned the task of securing their respective strongholds. The party has also incorporated younger leaders and diverse representatives such as Praniti Shinde, Kanhaiya Kumar, Jignesh Mevani, and Amin Patel in its campaign strategy. The State Election Commission has recently permitted parties to increase their star campaigners from 20 to 40, a provision that the Congress has fully utilized to cover a wide electoral landscape.
While the BMC remains a key battleground, the party plans to deploy these leaders in other major corporations like Pune, Nashik, Thane, and Nagpur to counter the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
