Congress alleges money power and pressure tactics in BMC polls

Days after the conclusion of BMC Election 2026 Congress on Monday alleged money power and pressure tactics in Mumbai civic body pollsCongress has recorded lowestever seat count in the BMC pollsCongress leader Varsha Gaikwad on Monday alleged that the recent Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC elections were affected by serious attacks on the democratic process reported the PTIShe claimed that candidates were pressured to withdraw from the contest money was distributed to influence voters and irregularities took place during vote countingGaikwad made these remarks while speaking to reporters after meeting newly elected Congress corporators in MumbaiCongress councillors are like 24carat gold says GaikwadCongress leader asserted that the partyrsquos newly elected councillors are ldquolike 24carat goldrdquo emphasising their ideological commitment and independence from external pressure BMCElectionshellip pictwittercomVgGab93K1pmdash Prof Varsha Eknath Gaikwad VarshaEGaikwad January 19 2026Referring to the election of 24 Congress councillors the leader said they were chosen because they genuinely believe in the Congress ideology ldquoThey are 24carat gold Congress leaders We do not need to keep them in hotels nor is there any pressure on them Our councillors are firmly committed to the partyrsquos values and principlesrdquo she statedCongress records lowestever seat countIn the recently concluded civic elections the Congress party recorded its lowestever performance in the 227member BMC Contesting in alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi VBA Rashtriya Samaj Paksha RSP and RPI Gavai the Congress won only 24 seatsIn comparison the party had secured 31 seats in the 2017 BMC electionsBJPShiv Sena alliance wins majorityThe alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP and Shiv Sena won a clear majority in the cashrich civic body The BJP secured 89 seats while Shiv Sena won 29 seatsShiv Sena UBT emerged as a strong force with 65 seats while its ally the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS won six seatsGaikwad praises party workersDespite the poor electoral performance Gaikwad praised Congress workers and candidates for standing firm She said they fought bravely and upheld democratic values despite facing pressure and challengesldquoEven with these obstacles our workers showed courage and commitmentrdquo she said as per the PTICongress promises accountability in civic bodyGaikwad who heads the Mumbai Congress unit said the party would ensure that the civic administration works with responsibility transparency and accountabilityldquoOur elected representatives will raise the voice of Mumbaikars inside the corporation and protect their rightsrdquo she added the PTI reportedAppeal to defeated candidatesThe Congress leader also appealed to party workers and candidates who lost the election to continue working at the grassroots level and stay connected with the people of Mumbai the news agency reportedwith PTI inputs