Shinde Says Shiv Sena Won’t Betray Mahayuti Mandate In BMC

“The citizens of Mumbai have voted for the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance with great trust and the Shiv Sena will not betray their votes by taking any different decision,” said Shinde.

The deputy chief minister also acknowledged that a section in his party believes that having a Shiv Sena mayor would be a mark of respect to Bal Thackeray as 2026 marks his 100th birth anniversary. “Balasaheb Thackeray’s birth centenary year starts from January 23. Some Shivsainiks are of the opinion that a Shiv Sena mayor should be installed in the BMC,” he said.

His comments come amid some reports claiming a secret pact between the BJP and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). According to reports, Thackeray’s corporators would abstain from the mayoral vote in order to strip Shinde of his bargaining power.

No single party received a clear majority in the BMC elections and the Shiv Sena had kept its corporators in a five-star hotel, raising speculations about other political equations being formed. In the 227-member BMC House, the majority mark is 114 seats. The BJP has won 89 seats, while its ally, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, secured 29. The Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, while its ally MNS emerged victorious on six.

However, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut dismissed these reports stating the party has no intention of getting involved in the tussle between the BJP and Mr. Shinde. Taking a jab at their rivals, he called the BJP’s success in the BMC polls as a “victory of power over principles.”

The Rajya Sabha MP said that ‘the contest’ for Mumbai mayor is tighter than it looks. It is 108 vs 118, according to him.

“We are currently at 108 with the UBT, MNS, Congress, and our allies,” Raut said. “The target is 114. We are marginally short by just six seats. Just wait and watch, anything can happen in Mumbai politics.”

Raut took a sharp swipe at Shinde, for moving his corporators to luxury hotels in Bandra and Kalyan-Dombivli.

“Our corporators are not hiding; they are at home, enjoying a normal life,” Raut scoffed. “Shinde is living in fear. He has kept his people at three different hotels because he knows they are ready to switch sides. He left us because he feared the Enforcement Directorate; now he fears his own flock.”

The Sena (UBT) leader claimed that the Shinde camp is struggling to keep its newly elected representatives from returning to the Thackeray fold.

“You can lock people in a hotel, but you cannot lock their minds. Many do not want to see a BJP Mayor in Mumbai,” Raut added.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT), in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, termed the BJP’s success in BMC as the “victory of power over principles”. Following the recent municipal corporation elections across Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his gratitude to the public, attributing the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) success to their policies of "good governance". However, the editorial painted a far more contentious picture of the results, characterised by allegations of administrative bias and the marginalisation of local interests.

"Prime Minister Modi has thanked the public for granting the 'NDA' victory in the state's municipal elections. He expressed that the enthusiastic citizens of the state have blessed the NDA's policies of good governance. Simultaneously, BJP workers credited Chief Minister Fadnavis for the recent victory in Maharashtra. Workers claim Fadnavis is worthy of congratulations because his strategic use of power led to the win in the municipal elections. In reality, all municipal commissioners, district collectors, and police acted like BJP agents, which simplified Fadnavis's victory," alleged the editorial.

The editorial added that while the NDA claims control over 23 out of 29 municipal corporations, reports indicate that in at least 17 of these, the BJP is dependent on “crutches” (allies) to maintain power.