Shinde moves Sena corporators to hotel as Thackeray rallies workers after BMC verdict

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has acted swiftly to secure his numbers following the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election results, shifting newly elected Shiv Sena corporators aligned with him to a hotel in Bandra amid concerns over possible poaching.

The move comes as the ruling alliance holds only a narrow majority in India’s richest civic body. In the 227-member BMC, the halfway mark is 114. The Bharatiya Janata Party has won 89 seats, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena has secured 29, taking the alliance’s total to 118 — just four seats above the majority threshold.

With the mayoral election approaching and the numbers finely balanced, party leaders said relocating corporators was a precautionary step aimed at preventing defections that could disrupt the arithmetic and jeopardise control of the civic house.

At the same time, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray addressed party workers in Mumbai, seeking to lift morale after the loss of control over the BMC. He portrayed the party’s performance as a positive outcome achieved under challenging circumstances.

“You are the true architects of this success; we are merely a medium,” Thackeray told workers, praising their loyalty and perseverance despite limited resources. He said the result should be viewed with pride given the political environment in which the party contested the polls.

Launching a sharp attack on the BJP and the ruling alliance, Thackeray accused them of misusing power and winning the civic elections through “betrayal”. He alleged that every possible tactic had been deployed against his party but claimed that loyalty could not be bought.

“They believe they have finished Shiv Sena on paper, but they can never destroy the Shiv Sena on the ground,” he said, asserting that Sena (UBT) remained deeply connected to the people.

Thackeray also alleged that the BJP had “mortgaged Mumbai” to secure victory, warning that the city’s Marathi-speaking population would not forgive what he described as a betrayal. He reiterated that it remained his aspiration to see a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor elected in Mumbai.

With the ruling alliance’s majority resting on a slender margin, intense political manoeuvring is expected in the coming days as parties prepare for the crucial mayoral contest.

With agency inputs