Saamana calls Maharashtra civic poll outcome a triumph of power over principle

The Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has sharply criticised the outcome of Maharashtra’s recent municipal elections, arguing that the results reflect the use of power rather than popular mandate and warning of damaging consequences for Mumbai.

In an editorial published on Monday in Saamana, the party’s mouthpiece, the Shiv Sena–UBT said voters who supported the BJP–Eknath Shinde alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections had effectively endorsed policies that would harm the city.

The editorial claimed that history would judge the winners not as leaders, but as those responsible for undermining Maharashtra’s democratic and civic institutions.

While acknowledging that the ruling alliance emerged ahead in the BMC, the Thackeray camp stressed that the victory margin was narrow, with a lead of only four seats. It argued that despite the alliance holding power at the state level, commanding vast financial resources and allegedly benefiting from institutional support, it only just managed to secure a majority.

The editorial took issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks thanking voters for backing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and crediting its success to “good governance”. It also criticised BJP workers for attributing the result to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s political strategy, alleging instead that senior administrative officials and the police functioned in favour of the ruling party.

Saamana further accused the Election Commission of India of failing to address voter complaints, claiming it had been weakened by corruption and had lost its independence. According to the editorial, the Mumbai results were closely watched, and it suggested that senior BJP leaders, including Mr Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, avoided campaigning in the city out of concern over a potential defeat.

The Thackeray faction argued that the alliance’s slim majority was unstable, noting that more than 100 corporators from opposition parties, including Shiv Sena–UBT, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Congress, would sit on the opposition benches. It alleged that elected members of the Shinde-led Sena were being kept together in hotels to prevent defections.

The editorial also claimed that Mumbai’s Marathi-speaking areas continued to support the Thackeray brothers, with Shiv Sena and MNS candidates winning in these constituencies, while the BJP’s gains were largely concentrated in areas dominated by non-local voters.

It warned that if the BMC were run under what it described as the ruling alliance’s model of governance, the civic body could become vulnerable to corruption and criminal influence.

Beyond Mumbai, Saamana highlighted the strong showing of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which won more than 100 seats across several municipal corporations, including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nanded. The editorial suggested this rise may have indirectly benefited the BJP by dividing the Congress vote, though it noted that in many of the 29 corporations claimed by the NDA, the BJP relies heavily on allies to retain control.

The piece also pointed to Congress successes in Kolhapur, under the leadership of Satej Patil, and in Chandrapur, arguing that the overall results did not represent a decisive endorsement of the ruling alliance’s agenda.

With IANS inputs