BMC Mayor Race: Amid Realignment Buzz, Eknath Shinde Issues Big Statement
Reiterating his stand, Shinde said Mumbaikars had voted in trust for the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, and that mandate would be honoured.
- Eknath Shinde assures Mahayuti will win Mumbai mayor seat.
- Speculation of political realignment in BMC denied by Shinde.
- Shiv Sena claims corporators attended training workshop.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has dismissed speculation of a fresh political realignment in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) following the civic poll results. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Shinde asserted that the Mahayuti alliance would secure the Mumbai mayoral post. He said that in municipal bodies where the Shiv Sena and BJP contested together, mayors would be appointed from the Mahayuti camp. Rejecting rumours of a shift in stance, Shinde insisted the Sena would not act against the mandate.
Shinde’s remarks come amid heightened political buzz after the BJP-Shiv Sena combine secured a slender majority in the 227-member BMC. The statement also follows reports that 29 newly elected Shiv Sena corporators were shifted to a Mumbai hotel soon after the results were declared last Friday, fuelling talk of internal negotiations and power-sharing.
Mahayuti Will Get Mayor: Shinde
Addressing the controversy, Shinde said the Shiv Sena and BJP had contested the BMC election as allies, and therefore the Mahayuti’s candidate would be elected mayor. He added that the same approach would apply to other civic bodies such as Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar, where the alliance fought jointly.
On the issue of corporators being moved to a hotel, the Shiv Sena has officially maintained that the newly elected members were relocated for a training workshop aimed at familiarising them with the functioning of the country’s richest civic body.
Seat Maths: BJP Leads, UBT Sena Second
In the BMC results, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) finished second with 65 seats. Shinde’s Shiv Sena won 29 seats, taking the Mahayuti tally to 118, enough to cross the majority mark in the House.
Speculation has been rife that Shinde is keen on ensuring the mayoral post for his Sena, at least for the first two-and-a-half years, with 2026 being the birth centenary year of the party’s founder, the late Bal Thackeray.
Reiterating his stand, Shinde said Mumbaikars had voted in trust for the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, and that mandate would be honoured. He also rejected claims that new political equations were being explored in Mumbai or other municipal corporations.
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