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Athawale also announced a list of the candidates, saying it is “absolutely essential for the Ambedkarite community’s power to participate in governance.”
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale (PTI photo)
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale described the exclusion of his party, the Republican Party of India (A), from the Mahayuti seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls as “betrayal of trust”.
The Minister affirmed that his party would contest on 38 seats but support the BJP and the Shiv Sena allies on other seats.
In a post on ‘X’, Athawale wrote, “Since the formation of the Mahayuti, we have stood by the alliance with complete sincerity and firmness. However, what has happened today regarding seat-sharing is nothing but a betrayal of trust”.
भाजपने रात्री उशिरा केवळ ७ जागांचा प्रस्ताव दिला, परंतु ऐनवेळी नवीन ठिकाणी उमेदवार उभे करणे आता अशक्य आहे. मुंबईत आमची ताकद वंचित बहुजन आघाडीपेक्षा (VBA) जास्त असूनही जागावाटपात आम्हाला डावलले गेले, त्यामुळे महाराष्ट्रभरातील आरपीआय कार्यकर्त्यांमध्ये तीव्र नाराजी आहे.इतर…
— Ramdas Athawale (@RamdasAthawale) December 30, 2025
Meanwhile, Athawale also announced a list of the candidates, saying it is “absolutely essential for the Ambedkarite community’s power to participate in governance.”
Speaking to the news agency ANI, the Union Minister refuted claims that there were discussions regarding giving him a position in the Union Cabinet.
“I am an MoS, I don’t need any cabinet position, but my workers also need something… Because of them, I reached Delhi, got a ministerial position… There was no discussion about giving me a Cabinet post, and even if there had been, I wouldn’t have accepted it… The Chief Minister called me this morning. I spoke with him. He told RPI had been given six seats. But they are not the seats we asked for…”, he said.
“If in two days, we are given some of the seven or eight seats we asked for, there is still time until the withdrawal deadline. Negotiations can still happen… We don’t want to separate from the BJP, but we have been forced to take this decision…” he added.
BJP-Shiv Sena announce seat-sharing pact
The BJP and the Shiv Sena announced a seat-sharing pact for the upcoming BMC polls, slated to be held on January 15.
As per the seat-sharing arrangements, the BJP will contest 137 seats while the Shiv Sena will field candidates in 90 seats. Another ally in the Mahayuti, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Ajit Pawar), is likely to go solo in the civic body polls.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the high-stakes Mumbai, will be held on January 15, with vote counting set to take place the next day.
December 30, 2025, 16:43 IST
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