Mumbai: After the Supreme Court on Tuesday paved the way for civic elections in the state, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis declared that the Mahayuti comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP will contest the polls as one unit. As for the MVA comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), there is complete uncertainty on whether it will contest the polls unitedly.“As a policy decision, we have decided to contest the polls unitedly, though there might be a few changes at certain places,” Fadnavis said.The civic polls have been delayed by more than three years after a petition was filed before the Supreme Court on the issue of reservation for the OBC category in the polls.While the SC has declared the election time-frame, most of the political parties may urge the state election commission (SEC) to postpone the polls in view of the festive season as well as the upcoming monsoon.“We feel that the elections should be held after Dussehra but before the Diwali festival,” an NCP politician said.The outcome of the civic polls will decide the political future of Uddhav Thackeray, leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), particularly in view of the crushing defeat his party suffered in the assembly election.While in the Lok Sabha election the performance of Shiv Sena (UBT) was impressive, in the subsequent assembly polls most of the defectors who switched over to the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde won the poll with historic margins.The civic elections, particularly the BMC poll, will be a test for Shinde too. While Thackeray is hopeful that after the civic polls the people of Mumbai will deliver the verdict that his is the “real” Shiv Sena, Shinde would like to see his party extend its growth.While welcoming the Supreme Court order, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress remained non-committal on whether they would contest the elections together under the banner of MVA.“We welcome the Supreme Court verdict for declaring the time-bound plan for the polls. A decision on contesting the polls under the banner of MVA will be taken after the state election commission declares the poll plan,” MPCC president Harshawardhan Sapkal said.NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase too said a decision will be taken later. “The order has come today, we need three to four days to discuss the verdict, and then we will take a decision on whether to contest the elections under the banner of MVA,” Tapase said.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, while saying that he felt the SEC should consider the ensuing festive and monsoon season and then take a decision on the civic polls, remained non-committal on whether the polls should be contested under the banner of MVA.“Our efforts will be to contest elections unitedly, but that will not be possible in BMC. In rest of the state, it is possible. We will examine all the possibilities as early as possible,” Raut said.Mumbai: After the Supreme Court on Tuesday paved the way for civic elections in the state, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis declared that the Mahayuti comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP will contest the polls as one unit. As for the MVA comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), there is complete uncertainty on whether it will contest the polls unitedly.“As a policy decision, we have decided to contest the polls unitedly, though there might be a few changes at certain places,” Fadnavis said.The civic polls have been delayed by more than three years after a petition was filed before the Supreme Court on the issue of reservation for the OBC category in the polls.While the SC has declared the election time-frame, most of the political parties may urge the state election commission (SEC) to postpone the polls in view of the festive season as well as the upcoming monsoon.“We feel that the elections should be held after Dussehra but before the Diwali festival,” an NCP politician said.The outcome of the civic polls will decide the political future of Uddhav Thackeray, leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), particularly in view of the crushing defeat his party suffered in the assembly election.While in the Lok Sabha election the performance of Shiv Sena (UBT) was impressive, in the subsequent assembly polls most of the defectors who switched over to the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde won the poll with historic margins.The civic elections, particularly the BMC poll, will be a test for Shinde too. While Thackeray is hopeful that after the civic polls the people of Mumbai will deliver the verdict that his is the “real” Shiv Sena, Shinde would like to see his party extend its growth.While welcoming the Supreme Court order, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress remained non-committal on whether they would contest the elections together under the banner of MVA.“We welcome the Supreme Court verdict for declaring the time-bound plan for the polls. A decision on contesting the polls under the banner of MVA will be taken after the state election commission declares the poll plan,” MPCC president Harshawardhan Sapkal said.NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase too said a decision will be taken later. “The order has come today, we need three to four days to discuss the verdict, and then we will take a decision on whether to contest the elections under the banner of MVA,” Tapase said.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, while saying that he felt the SEC should consider the ensuing festive and monsoon season and then take a decision on the civic polls, remained non-committal on whether the polls should be contested under the banner of MVA.“Our efforts will be to contest elections unitedly, but that will not be possible in BMC. In rest of the state, it is possible. We will examine all the possibilities as early as possible,” Raut said.