Pune, June 20: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said that the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will deliberate on contesting the upcoming civic elections in Maharashtra together. As the Supreme Court has directed that municipal elections be conducted in the state, the process will begin soon, Pawar told reporters in Baramati. “Though we have not yet held discussions with the Congress, our party, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), the Shetkari Kamgar Paksh, and other parties will come together and explore the possibility of contesting the polls together. A final decision will be taken, as we wish to fight the polls together,” he said.

Asked whether the MVA would jointly contest the civic polls in Mumbai, he said no such discussion has taken place so far. “Among us, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has a strong base in Mumbai, and their opinion will be taken into consideration,” he added. The Bal Thackeray-founded undivided Shiv Sena had controlled the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for more than two decades before it came under administrator rule a few years ago. Notify Local Body Elections in Maharashtra Within 4 Weeks: Supreme Court to State Poll Panel.

After last year's assembly elections, in which the MVA could win only 46 of the state's 288 seats, the upcoming local body polls are expected to be another high-stakes contest. Responding to a query concerning Hindi as a third language in Maharashtra, Pawar said it should not be made mandatory. “It should remain optional. Those who want to choose Hindi can opt for it. Just because 50 to 60 per cent of the population speaks Hindi, the language cannot be made compulsory for everyone,” he said. Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde Expresses Confidence in Shiv Sena's Success in Local Body Polls.

Opposition parties have accused the BJP of trying to impose Hindi in Maharashtra through “deception” to wipe out the Marathi language and culture after the state government recently issued an order making Hindi “generally” the third language for students of Classes 1 to 5 in English and Marathi medium schools.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)