With barely an hour left for the results of Maharashtra civic body elections to pour in, all eyes are on Thackeray brothers - Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray - who joined hands to take on the BJP-led Mahayuti. The political existence of the duo is in question as exit polls predict their rout with Mahayuti set to sweep the richest municipal corporation in India, for the first time.
Axis My India survey predicted that Mahayuti would claim 131 to 151 seats, while the Uddhav and Raj Thackeray combine is likely to settle for just 58 to 68 seats. The JVC exit poll predicts that the BJP and Shiv Sena coalition will secure 138 seats, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are expected to win 59 wards.
The Shiv Sena has dominated the BMC for the past three decades. However, this is the first election since the Shiv Sena split into two factions. The prominent Shinde faction is now facing the BMC elections in alliance with the BJP.
Though Uddhav Thackeray had been a key player in the BMC elections, the Shiv Sena (UBT) had won only 21 seats in the 2024 assembly elections. Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) too has been a significant factor in the BMC, but in 2017 BMC elections, the number of MNS corporators was reduced from 28 to seven. In the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the MNS failed to win a single MLA.
But now, after 20 years, the Thackeray brothers (Uddhav and Raj Thackeray) have come together for the BMC elections. Shiv Sena (UBT) is contesting on 163 seats, and MNS has fielded candidates on 52 seats.
For the duo, this is a battle for supremacy as both Raj and Uddhav Thackeray faced no success in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The BMC is important for Uddhav Thackeray's party because the BMC has increased the party's strength. Shiv Sena started in cities, and Mumbai has played the most important role in it, according to regional experts.
Hence, for Uddhav, this is not only a question of his political existence but also a question of his legitimacy as the heir of Shiv Sena.