Poll pact fails to work for Thackerays, show in BMC bastions silver lining
Mumbai: The tactical alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) may not have aided the Thackeray cousins to win the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, but the pact helped them keep intact their traditional strongholds.
The Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS combine has managed to take decisive lead in Marathi speakers’ strongholds in civic wards spread across assembly segments of Mahim, Sewree, Worli in the island city, besides Bhandup and Vikhroli in eastern suburbs. According to data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation at 7.30 pm on Friday, the BJP was leading in 67 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (18), Shiv Sena (UBT) (55), MNS (5), Congress (14), AIMIM (7), NCP (2), and NCP SP (1).
Elections for the 227-member civic body, India’s largest and richest, were held on Thursday and counting was taken up on Friday.
However, the alliance, announced a few days before the January 15 polls, failed to make any impact in satellite cities of Mumbai -- Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Ulhasnagar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar and Panvel - all part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) - one of the most urbanised belts of the country.
A total of 29 municipal corporations went to polls.
The alliance also failed to make any impact in cities like Nashik and Pune.
After the debacle in the 2024 state Assembly polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray came together for civic elections, burying their 20-year old rivalry for “Marathi manoos” and for the betterment of Maharashtra.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 seats in the state assembly, while the MNS drew a blank.
Political analyst Prakash Akolkar, who has authored a book on the Shiv Sena, blamed the Thackerays for not campaigning enough in the run-up to the polls to mobilise support for their alliance.
He noted both brothers wasted crucial time since they came together for the first time on July 5, 2025, to celebrate the “victory” after the BJP-led Mahayuti government withdrew the contentious GRs on three-language formula for students from Classes 1-5 and made Hindi “mandatory”.
The coming together of the two cousins created a momentum and generated a lot of talks in political circles, but they could not capitalise on it, Akolkar maintained. He pointed out that the Thackeray cousins addressed only three joint rallies - in Mumbai, Nashik and Thane - contrary to the announcement of holding multiple sabhas (gatherings).
“Visiting shakhas may not necessarily help you connect with new voters,”
Akolkar opined.
