AURANGABAD: Maharashtra minister Amit Deshmukh on Thursday said the Congress will contest the next elections of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) independently and the party has started preparing for it.
Congress is a constituent of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena and NCP as its ruling partners.
Addressing a press conference here, Deshmukh, a Congress leader, said, "We will talk to our leaders about the elections here, but the party will contest the polls in Aurangabad independently and preparations in that direction have begun.
" "This (contesting elections independently) is the feeling of party workers here and we have started planning accordingly," the Medical Education Minister said.
After the tenure of members of the Aurangabad civic body ended on April 28 this year, elections were put on hold due to the COVID-19 situation and the Maharashtra government appointed civic chief Astik Kumar Pandey as its administrator.
The last mayor of Aurangabad was from the Shiv Sena.
When asked if the Congress can criticise its ally Shiv Sena in the civic elections, Deshmukh said, "What the party workers feel and say will be considered.
We will reach out to the people and see what they say.
Such things cannot be decided at this moment.
" Replying to a query about the strong presence of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the civic body, the minister said, "Time is changing now.
The work done by the elected members of AIMIM is before the people to see".