The Congress' decision to contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections independently has fragmented the Opposition space in the Mumbai civic battle and turned the January 15 polls into a multi-cornered contest. The party cited the alignment between the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's MNS as the reason for opting out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) arrangement for the civic polls. According to political observers, the Congress' move to go solo, focusing on local issues and ideological clarity, reflects strategic recalibration and political vulnerability. It is a bold gambit but one fraught with risk in a political landscape dominated by well-entrenched alliances and resurgent rivals, they said. How the Congress navigates this terrain in Mumbai could have long-lasting implications for its political fortunes in Maharashtra and beyond, they said. Historically, the Congress was a dominant force in Mumbai's civic politics, but the last three deca