Mumbai: The fate of 68 seats in Mumbai’s Marathi-dominated wards will decide which faction of the Shiv Sena claims the mantle of being the “real Shiv Sena” in what has been described as a fierce, high-stakes contest between Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. As the votes are counted today, the political battle in these wards is not just about municipal governance—it is a symbolic struggle over the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and the representation of Marathi-speaking communities in the city.

In the previous municipal elections, the undivided Shiv Sena had won 84 seats, while the BJP secured 82, resulting in a partnership that governed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). However, the political landscape shifted dramatically following the Shiv Sena split engineered by Eknath Shinde in 2022. After breaking away from Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde aligned with the BJP, bringing a significant portion of the party’s Mumbai leadership and many former corporators into his fold. Reports indicate that Shinde successfully inducted 50 to 60 former UBT corporators, strategically weakening Thackeray’s influence in the city.

With his party’s base eroding and senior leaders defecting, Uddhav Thackeray recognized the need for a broader strategy. He reached out to his cousin, Raj Thackeray, who leads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), framing the BMC elections as the “final battle” for Marathi-speaking people. The alliance between the cousins aimed to consolidate Marathi voters, countering the Hindutva narrative promoted by the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance under Shinde.

For Shinde, the strategy has been to dominate Marathi-majority areas and fragment the Thackeray vote. In the current BMC elections, Shinde’s faction has fielded 91 candidates, of which 86 contested directly against UBT and MNS candidates. A Shiv Sena insider revealed, “The strategy was simple. We wanted to divide the Marathi voters, and hence the party is contesting the polls in all the Marathi pockets.” Areas such as Lalbaug, Parel, Dadar, Byculla, Worli, Bhandup, Vikhroli, Prabhadevi, and Andheri became the focal points of this intense political confrontation, with residents actively participating in polling.

Voter enthusiasm in the Marathi bastions was particularly visible in the early hours. Many elderly voters, recalling their long-standing affiliation with Shiv Sena, turned out to express their support for the legacy of Bal Thackeray. Ramesh Page, a 79-year-old from Parel who had actively participated in Shiv Sena protests during his youth, said, “Like many others, I was unhappy when the Thackeray cousins split and had always hoped for their reunion. While I support Narendra Modi at the Centre, for local elections, people should elect leaders from their own region.”

High turnout was observed in traditional Thackeray strongholds such as Wards 192 and 193, which include Dadar and Shivaji Park. Polling booths at Kohinoor Parking and Dadar’s Shindewadi saw long queues, with voters waiting for nearly an hour even at midday. At Shindewadi, for instance, of the 787 registered voters in the Shivneri building, 525 had cast their ballots by 5 pm, indicating the intensity of local engagement in what is widely being viewed as a defining contest.

While the reunion of the Thackeray cousins energized some voters, others expressed concerns over last-minute political maneuvering and ticket distribution by various parties. Bhanudas Mane, a 49-year-old voter from Lalbaug, said, “While people were happy about the reunion of the Thackeray cousins, there was dissatisfaction over the last-minute political moves during ticket distribution. As a Marathi voter, I preferred supporting candidates with a strong track record rather than voting strictly along party lines.”

The elections saw particular focus in six wards where both factions of the Shiv Sena faced off directly, with little competition from other candidates. These wards—3 (Dahisar East), 6 (Dahisar East), 153 (Chembur), 191 (Mahim), 198 (Lalbaug), and 203 (Parel)—became critical battlegrounds, with only a handful of independent candidates contesting in some areas. In these direct confrontations, every vote was crucial, and both parties invested significant resources in mobilization and campaigning.

Meanwhile, Marathi voter turnout in other areas like Andheri and Versova, including Wards 59, 61, and 63, also reflected strong local engagement. However, in some localities such as Ghatkopar East, turnout was comparatively low, reportedly due to the perception that there were no strong or appealing candidates in the fray. At Ward 131, for instance, only a small number of voters were seen at polling booths, underscoring the uneven enthusiasm across the city’s Marathi pockets.

The elections are being closely watched not just for their immediate municipal implications but also for the larger symbolic contest between the Thackeray and Shinde factions. For Uddhav Thackeray, retaining control of Marathi strongholds in Mumbai is vital to preserving his party’s political relevance and continuing the Shiv Sena legacy in the city. For Eknath Shinde, capturing these seats would consolidate his faction’s dominance and signal a decisive shift in local politics, further weakening Thackeray’s influence.

The political dynamics in these elections also highlight the strategic importance of alliances and vote consolidation among Marathi-speaking communities. By joining forces with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, Uddhav Thackeray aimed to offset the numerical advantage of Shinde’s Shiv Sena, leveraging historical loyalty to the Thackeray family and the emotive appeal of Marathi identity. Shinde, on the other hand, relied on an aggressive campaign, party defections, and his alliance with the BJP to expand his reach into traditional Thackeray bastions.

As polling concluded and counting commenced, political observers noted that the outcome in the 68 contested wards would serve as a barometer of Marathi sentiment in Mumbai. Analysts suggested that the elections could influence broader municipal policies and future state-level strategies for both factions, with implications for alliances, candidate selection, and voter mobilization in upcoming elections.

In summary, the BMC elections in Mumbai’s Marathi-dominated areas have evolved into a high-stakes confrontation, with both Shiv Sena factions vying for legitimacy and political supremacy. With historical loyalty, recent defections, strategic alliances, and active voter participation shaping the contest, the “final battle” for Marathi manoos in these wards reflects a citywide struggle over legacy, identity, and political control. As the votes are counted and results declared, the elections are likely to reshape the city’s political landscape, determining which faction of the Shiv Sena will emerge as the dominant force among Mumbai’s Marathi-speaking electorate.

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