MUMBAI: After the major debacle in Bihar, the Congress party has decided to junk the traditional allies and contest the local body and Asia’s richest civic body separately in Maharashtra and planned to ally with smaller parties in view of strengthening its cadre and inculcating new local leadership. 

Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkap said that they have decided to respect the sentiments of party workers who want to contest the local body elections separately and party strength. 

He said in Maharashtra, they contested the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections as Mha Vikas Aghadi and won many seats in the Lok Sabha elections but lost the state assembly elections. “Congress and Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Aghadi workers want an alliance between the two parties for the local self-government elections,” he said.