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Maharashtra civic polls: Sena UBT trumps Shiv Sena in Deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s backyard in Thane

In Ward 13A of Thane Municipal Corporation, Sena (UBT) candidate Shahaji Khusphe polled 12,860 votes, while Shiv Sena nominee and former mayor Ashok Vaiti secured 12,193 votes.

2 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jan 16, 2026 09:06 PM IST

Shahaji Khuspe, the Thackeray faction candidate who defeated Shinde Sena's Ashok Vaity, celebrates on Friday. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)

In what could be called as one of the most symbolic results of the Thane civic polls, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has won the ward where Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde resides – a locality long regarded as his political stronghold.

Sena (UBT) candidate Shahaji Khusphe defeated the Shinde-led Sena’s nominee and former mayor Ashok Vaiti by 667 votes.

In Ward 13A, Khusphe polled 12,860 votes, while Vaiti secured 12,193, according to officials.

Also Read | BMC results redraw Mumbai’s pecking order: Fadnavis on top, Uddhav lives to fight another day, Shinde slips

The result has drawn attention because Thane has traditionally been the Shiv Sena’s core base, shaped by the legacy of Bal Thackeray and the late Anand Dighe, and later by Shinde himself.

The result has drawn attention because Thane has traditionally been the Shiv Sena’s core base, shaped by the legacy of Bal Thackeray and the late Anand Dighe, and later by Shinde himself.. (PTI File Photo)

After the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena, almost the entire Sena organisation in Thane, including most shakhas and corporators, joined Shinde’s faction, making Thane a prestige battle for the ruling side as well as the Sena UBT.

While the Sena UBT is far behind in the overall race of winning the Thane Municipal Corporation, the win in the backyard of Shinde has raised eyebrows of many.

Ward 13 of Thane has four seats. While the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won three of them, the Sena (UBT)’s win in the most high-profile contest has carried political weight. It indicates that voter support has not shifted fully with the party’s organisational control and that the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction retains pockets of support even in areas closely identified with Shinde.

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