MUMBAI: Congress leaders in Maharashtra are veering around to the view that it may be better to support Shiv Sena to prevent Bharatiya Janata Party from grabbing the post of mayor in the newly elected Mumbai civic body.A day after BJP staged a dramatic comeback by winning eight out of 10 corporations in the state and edged perilously close to Sena in its Mumbai bastion, Congress leaders indicated that it may serve the Grand Old Party better to have a Sena nominee as the maximum city's new mayor."While both are communal parties, the bigger threat is BJP. And to stop it, Sena is the lesser evil of the two, and we need to support it," said a senior Congress leader. He, however, added that the party has not taken a final call yet and that senior Maharashtra Congress leaders will travel to Delhi to discuss the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC ) results and the party's dismal performance in the state.BJP bagged 82 seats in the 227-member corporation, a dramatic jump from its tally of 31 in 2012. Sena could only increase its tally from 75 to 84. On Friday, it secured the support of two Independents to take its tally to 86.Sena leaders, including party supremo Uddhav Thackeray, have said the party will be able to get its mayoral candidate elected.Sena's case has been bolstered by voices of support from other parties such as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Leaders from both parties indicated on Friday they wouldn't be averse to a Sena mayor.Congress Leaders for Conditional Support to SenaSena simply needs Congress, NCP and MNS to abstain from the vote to tilt scales in its favourNCP also does not want to be seen supporting BJP, said a party leader from Mumbai. Though the NCP leadership is notoriously fickle and has supported the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra in the past, the scenario is different this time around, the leader added."How can we support BJP, which has ended our reign in corporations like Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad," the NCP leader asked. BJP romped home in both municipalities, long considered strongholds of Sharad Pawar , the NCP supremo, and his family. Raj Thackeray's MNS, which has been reduced to seven seats this time, from 28 in 2012, is also not keen to support BJP despite overtures from the party.Some Congress leaders want to attach a condition to any support for Sena. They want the party to pull out of the coalition government in both the state and at the Centre. "Why should we help Shiv Sena when they are in power with BJP in the state and at the Centre? Let Sena withdraw support and then we could consider a deal. If Sena continues to support the BJP governments in the state and at the Centre, then what are we supporting Sena for in the BMC," one leader asked.Mumbai and Maharashtra Congress leaders, who met on Friday in Mumbai to take stock of the results, concurred and said support for Sena could be "considered" only after the party withdrew support to BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre.Haggling and intense discussions are on in every party office, with Sena and BJP doing their utmost to secure victory for their mayoral candidates. Unlike the legislative assembly, the parties don't have to prove their majority. Real power in the civic body is wielded through standing committees whose membership is anyway based on party strength.The mayor's position is largely ceremonial, but is prestigious enough for both parties to try their best to secure a win. Sena could have an edge over its rival. It simply needs Congress, NCP and MNS to abstain from the vote, which will tilt the scales in its favour given its slight numerical advantage over BJP.A BJP leader acknowledged that his party could be isolated but added that the game is not over yet. "In the long run, Sena would need the support of a stable partner. Would Sena always want to be at the mercy of parties such as Congress, NCP and MNS? We will give them stability, and since our own state government runs with their support, it would be a smooth arrangement," he added.He said the picture would be clearer by Monday and added that BJP and Sena are destined to be together, at least for now.