BMC Poll Results: Mahayuti Takes Over Mumbai, Thackeray Era Ends After Nearly Three Decades

Mumbai: The victory of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the BMC elections had changed the decades-old balance of Mumbai politics. With this result, the Thackeray family's dominance over Asia's richest municipal corporation was broken. State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis emerged as the biggest face of this victory, and his hold on Maharashtra politics became stronger.

What picture did the BMC results reveal?

In BMC with 227 wards, BJP won 89 seats, breaking its old record. Its ally Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) got 29 seats. In this way the alliance's tally reached 118, which is much more than the 114 seats required for majority.

Why did the Shinde group suffer loss?

Although at one time most of the corporators of undivided Shiv Sena had joined Shinde, but in this election the traditional vote bank of the party was not completely with him. In a stronghold like Mumbai, his Shiv Sena was reduced to only 29 seats, whereas earlier this party was considered the most powerful here.

What does the performance of the Thackeray faction indicate?

Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena got 65 seats, which is less than in 2017, but it also shows that the influence of the Thackeray name has not completely ended. The party kept itself in the political race despite losing the symbol and breaking the organization.

How did the debate of Marathi identity versus Hindutva become an issue?

Before the elections, Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with his cousin Raj Thackeray and made the identity of “Marathi Manus” an issue. On the other hand, BJP put forward the agenda of Hindutva and development. This fight between the two sides became a direct clash of ideologies.

How did BJP see the victory?

BJP leaders called it a mandate in support of both development and Hindutva. After the results, Chief Minister Fadnavis said that development and cultural identity cannot be seen separately. Senior party leaders also termed it a victory for the coalition's policies.

What happened to Congress and other parties?

Congress, choosing a different path, won 26 seats, while its ally VBA got 8 seats. AIMIM also surprisingly strengthened its presence and won 8 wards.

What effect will this have on future politics?

These results have changed the direction of Mumbai's urban politics. For Devendra Fadnavis, this is not just the victory of the Municipal Corporation but a seal of leadership. For the opposition, this is a signal that identity politics alone is no longer enough to win elections.