Maharashtra: No presence of Sena minister in Mumbai raises brows ahead of BMC polls

In contrast, the BJP, with its 15 MLAs from Mumbai, has inducted two prominent leaders—Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Ashish Shelar—into the cabinet. This move signals the BJP’s intent to play a dominant role in Mumbai ahead of the civic polls, further asserting itself as the senior partner in the alliance.

Insiders from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena have expressed disappointment over the exclusion, emphasizing that having a minister from Mumbai was critical to maintaining the party’s base in the city.

“The BMC has always been the backbone of the Shiv Sena. With the elections around the corner, having at least one minister from Mumbai would have strengthened our position. However, Shinde ji must have a strategy in place,” a senior Sena leader said.

The leader added that the exclusion could hurt the party’s chances, especially as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) has outperformed the Shinde faction in Mumbai in recent elections.

“The UBT Sena’s dominance in the city, as seen in recent poll results, makes it even more necessary for us to focus on Mumbai to regain our stronghold and win the BMC elections,” the leader said.

The battle for Mumbai remains fierce between the two Sena factions, with both vying to prove their dominance in the city. While Shinde’s faction has outperformed Uddhav’s in other parts of Maharashtra, Mumbai remains a challenging front.