Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jan 12: Former Indian cricketer and Telangana minister Mohammad Azharuddin on Monday voiced confidence that the Congress would emerge victorious in the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, saying the political mood in the city favours the party’s return.

Azharuddin, who is campaigning for Congress candidates, led a roadshow in south Mumbai’s Mumbadevi area along with Rajya Sabha MP and poet-politician Imran Pratapgarhi. He said the response from voters indicated growing support for the Congress in the country’s financial capital.

“The atmosphere is clearly in our favour. People want change,” Azharuddin said, adding that issues aimed at dividing society along religious or community lines have no relevance in a democratic setup. Referring to debates around the hijab, he remarked that such topics do not even merit a response.

Imran Pratapgarhi, meanwhile, launched a sharp attack on the BJP, alleging that the party was willing to go to any lengths to secure electoral victories. He also claimed that the BJP and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM were engaged in what he termed a “sham fight” to polarise voters.

“The Congress is the only party that walks with every section of society. The people of Mumbai understand and reject the politics of hate,” Pratapgarhi said.

Responding to statements by BJP leaders asserting that the next Mumbai mayor would be a Hindu and a Maharashtrian, Pratapgarhi countered that identity-based claims were irrelevant. “The next mayor should be a good human being who works for the welfare of the people,” he said.

The Congress is contesting 143 of the 227 seats in the BMC elections, while its allies — the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP), and Republican Party of India (Gavai faction) — are contesting the remaining seats.

Polling for the high-profile civic elections will take place on January 15, with counting scheduled for the following day.

In the 2017 BMC elections, the BJP made major inroads into what was traditionally a Shiv Sena stronghold, winning 82 seats — just two fewer than the undivided Shiv Sena. The Congress finished third with 31 seats, while the undivided NCP and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) secured nine and seven seats, respectively.