Uddhav and Raj Thackeray’s latest meeting signals serious progress toward a possible UBT–MNS alliance for the BMC polls, with seat-sharing discussions now underway. (Express Photo By Ganesh Shirsekar)
Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray held another meeting in Mumbai on Thursday to discuss seat sharing for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.
The dialogue between the two cousins has lent weight to the possibility of an announcement of a formal alliance for the upcoming civic elections that are expected to reshape political equations across Mumbai.
The meeting took place at Raj Thackeray’s residence ‘Shivtirth’ in Dadar, where Uddhav reached around 12 pm along with party MLA Varun Sardesai.
As information on the meeting became public, leaders from the Shiv Sena (UBT) clarified that the closed-door meeting was not a courtesy call or a festive gathering, but a focused discussion on election strategy, seat-sharing, and coordination between the two parties.
According to senior leaders within the Shiv Sena (UBT), the meeting, held over two hours, included a detailed review of potential seat-sharing formulas. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership has reportedly indicated willingness to offer the MNS nearly 70-80 seats out of the total 227 in the BMC.
Both parties have started their internal preparations for the polls and have already assessed ward-wise strengths, past voting patterns, candidate selection possibilities, and the challenges arising from the city’s changing demographic profile.
The meeting comes at a time when both Uddhav and Raj have been publicly raising concerns about issues such as the alleged irregularities in the revised voters list, and the two leaders had earlier this week jointly submitted a letter to the State Election Commission demanding more time to scrutinise the draft rolls and to file objections.
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The joint move was seen by political observers as an important symbolic gesture because it showed that the two parties, which were on separate paths for nearly two decades, were now beginning to act together on administrative and civic matters that affect Mumbai’s core voters.
Concern in the MVA The evolving partnership between the Thackeray cousins has caused some discomfort within the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), particularly the Congress, which has already announced that the party will not be accepting the MNS as a partner due to differences over past political positions and ideological disagreements, especially on the MNS’s stand against North Indians, which the Congress feels would hurt its vote bank.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) is a central pillar of the MVA along with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP).
Last week, Congress AICC Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala had announced that the party would contest independently on all 227 seats, confirming that the MVA would not be together in the upcoming civic body polls, at least in Mumbai.
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According to sources, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is now in touch with the Congress high command in Delhi to ensure that the party contests with it.
BMC polls: A high-stakes election Meanwhile, Maharashtra is in the midst of an extensive round of local body elections, and voting for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats is scheduled for December 2, after which polls for 32 zilla parishads, 336 panchayat samitis, and 29 municipal corporations, including the crucial BMC, are expected to follow, and the entire election process must be completed by January 31.
The high stakes surrounding the BMC, which is India’s richest civic body, have ensured that all major parties are carefully recalibrating their strategies, and the possibility of a UBT–MNS alliance has become a closely watched development.
Political analysts believe that if the two Thackeray-led parties and Congress eventually contest together, the alliance could significantly influence the outcome in several Marathi-dominated wards, and it could also strengthen the Opposition’s position against the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra.
Vallabh Ozarkar is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized as an authoritative and deeply knowledgeable voice on the politics, governance, and infrastructure of Maharashtra. With more than nine years of experience in major news organizations, his reporting delivers high standards of Expertise and Trustworthiness.
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Current Role: Senior Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai bureau.
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