A lot is at stake for the ruling Mahayuti as well as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra in the local body polls announced on Tuesday. To to be held on December 2, these are the first elections to these bodies in the state in almost a decade.

For the Mahayuti – comprising the BJP , Eknath Shinde ’s Shiv Sena and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar – the polls are the first since it secured a thumping majority in last year’s Assembly elections, and seen as an opportunity to “create leaders”.

“Workers, who are the backbone of any political party, aspire to grow. Local body elections present a platform for them. Also, the lack of elections for several years has affected the process of creating new leaders,” a senior BJP leader said.

MVA constituents like the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) an

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