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BJP Ends Thackeray Rule in Mumbai, Secures BMC Majority With Shiv Sena

The BJP, in alliance with the Shiv Sena, has achieved 'Mission BMC' by securing a majority to control the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, ending a 25-year rule by the Thackeray family. While the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 88 seats, no party crossed the halfway mark alone, necessitating alliances. The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray showed resilience by leading in 65 seats, but the combined strength of the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured the mayoral position. The Congress was relegated to fourth place, while smaller parties like AIMIM and MNS won a handful of seats.

Key Points: BJP-Shiv Sena Win BMC, End 25-Year Thackeray Rule in Mumbai

  • BJP wins 88 seats as single-largest party
  • Shiv Sena (UBT) leads in 65 seats
  • Alliance ends 25-year Thackeray rule
  • No single party crosses halfway mark
3 min read

BJP, Shiv Sena achieve 'Mission BMC', succeed in ending 25-year Thackeray rule

BJP emerges as single-largest party in BMC elections, forming alliance to end Thackeray family's long control of Mumbai's civic body.

"The BJP, with the Shiv Sena's 28 corporators, is in a comfortable position to secure the mayoral post. - Sanjay Jog"

Mumbai, Jan 16

In the high-stakes battle for the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP, in alliance with the Shiv Sena, achieved its Mission Mumbai. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party by winning 88 seats. While it holds a significant lead over its rivals, the numbers suggest that no single party has crossed the magic halfway mark on its own, pointing towards the necessity of alliances to control the civic body.

However, the BJP, with the Shiv Sena's 28 corporators, is in a comfortable position to secure the mayoral post which the party has aimed for over many years.

One of the most critical storylines in this election is the split between the two Sena factions. Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, has shown strong resilience, leading in 65 seats, and remains the primary challenger to the BJP. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) is leading in 28 seats.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which had claimed to be the "real" Sena following its wins in the state Assembly elections and the recent polls held for nagar parishads and nagar panchayats, failed to keep its victory march at the same speed. This is despite giving entry to former corporators affiliated with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena into the party fold.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, which fought the elections together with the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), currently holds more than double the leads of the Shinde faction, suggesting that a larger portion of the traditional Sena voter base may have remained with the Thackeray camp in this specific count. Although the two brothers reached out to voters flagging the cause of Marathi identity and Marathi Manoos, they were unable to cross the halfway mark of 114 seats.

However, the Thackeray brothers together gave a tough fight to the BJP-Shiv Sena combine in the race for a majority till the results of the last seat were announced.

Dominating the tally, the BJP has consolidated its position as the heavyweight in Mumbai politics. However, it failed to meet its 150-plus target despite focusing on strengthening the mandal-level party network and an extensive outreach to voters.

The BJP, in particular, countered the Thackeray brothers' emotional appeal with the development plank, urging Mumbaikars to vote for a triple-engine government to expedite the city's growth in an uninterrupted manner.

The Congress, which contested the elections in an alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, has been relegated to the fourth position. While still a factor, its influence appears diminished compared to the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT).

AIMIM sprang a surprise by winning eight seats, compared to two seats won by the Samajwadi Party. The party has hinted at consolidating its presence in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra ahead of the next Assembly polls slated for 2029. It holds a significant pocket of influence that could be vital in specific wards.

Raj Thackeray's party won six seats, maintaining a small but potentially decisive presence. However, the party will have to increase its focus on strengthening its organisational network while keeping its alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) intact.

The two NCP factions (NCP and NCP-Sharad Pawar) together have won four seats, indicating a limited footprint in the Mumbai municipal area compared to other parts of Maharashtra.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
It's sad to see the Shiv Sena split like this. The Thackeray name held so much weight in Mumbai. Uddhav ji's faction putting up a strong fight shows the core voter is still with them. This alliance politics is confusing for common citizens.
A
Aman W
BJP's strategy of 'triple-engine government' seems to have worked. But they missed their own target of 150+. Shows that in Mumbai, local issues and identity still matter a lot, not just national narratives.
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Sarah B
Interesting to see AIMIM and MNS winning seats. Mumbai's politics is becoming more fragmented. Hope this doesn't lead to more polarisation at the local level. The city needs unity.
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Vikram M
As a Mumbaikar, my only request to the new corporators: please fix the roads before the monsoon! We've heard promises for decades. Time for visible, tangible work. No more excuses. 🙏
K
Karthik V
The Congress becoming fourth is the biggest story for me. They really need to rebuild from the ground up in Maharashtra. The alliance with VBA didn't seem to help much here.
M
Meera T
Respectfully, while the BJP has won, the fact that no single party got a clear majority on its own shows voters are

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