Mumbai, Jan 16 (PTI) 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 run up to the polls to mobilize 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.
The veteran analyst pointed that the Thackeray cousins addressed only three joint rallies – in Mumbai, Nashik and Thane – contrary to the announcement of holding multiple sabhas (gatherings).
As per the original plan, the Thackerays were to address nine rallies — three in Mumbai, one each in Kalyan, Dombivali, Mira-Bhayander, Thane, Pune and Nashik. They instead resorted to visiting ‘shakhas’ (local units of Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS), seeking to make personal connect.
“Visiting shakhas may not necessarily help you connect with new voters,” Akolkar opined.
An MNS leader concurred with Akolkar.
“Raj saheb’s one rally in which he made a presentation against industrialists created quite a buzz both in the city and elsewhere. There should have been more such rallies,” the MNS leader stressed.
The leader said after the 2024 assembly debacle, the main intention behind the two cousins coming together was to salvage their parties and consolidate votes of Marathi speakers.
“The MNS was on a ventilator and we wanted it to be off. The Shiv Sena (UBT) which is in the ICU could be shifted to the general ward,” the MNS leader remarked.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has been witnessing a series of desertions since the 2022 split in the undivided Shiv Sena.
More than half of the 84 BMC corporators of the undivided Shiv Sena elected in 2017 switched to the party led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, significantly eroding the support base of Uddhav Thackeray.
The MNS, which won seven seats in the 2017 civic body polls, was reduced to just corporator as six switched loyalties and joined the undivided Shiv Sena.
The MNS leader, however, pointed out that the Raj Thackeray-led party was on the backfoot ever since seat-sharing talks with the Shiv Sena (UBT) began.
“The party (MNS) got a raw deal and was allotted difficult seats where the BJP had dominance,” he insisted. PTI PR RSY
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