BMC poll a referendum on Thackeray brand as Sena factions face off: Experts | Mumbai News
MUMBAI: Deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena will take on Uddhav and Raj Thackeray’s parties on 87 seats in the BMC polls. The recent electoral record favours Sena (UBT). In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, of the 13 constituencies that saw a Sena vs Sena battle, UBT won seven, while Shinde’s party won six. In Mumbai, UBT won three of the four seats it contested, while Sena won one of three.“The Lok Sabha and assembly elections indicated which Sena holds greater clout in Mumbai. But the BMC polls are far more intense and will decisively establish which is the real Sena,” said a political observer. “With the Thackeray cousins fighting together this time, it is also a referendum on the Thackeray brand. Whether the Marathi voter responds to the renewed ‘Marathi Manoos’ narrative will be crucial. This is, in many ways, the final battle between the two Senas. It will shape Mumbai’s political future and also the political trajectories of the Thackerays.”
During the LS and assembly polls, several UBT leaders from Mumbai who defected to Shinde, including MLAs Yamini Jadhav and Sada Sarvankar, and MP Rahul Shewale, lost in direct Sena vs Sena contests. Over 40 former UBT corporators have since joined Shinde. “How they perform against the combined strength of the Thackerays will be closely watched,” the observer said. “The outcome will largely depend on the Marathi vote. A poor showing by Shinde could also hurt BJP by disrupting Marathi vote transfer and weaken Mahayuti.”Key Shinde vs Thackeray face-offs are expected in Sewri, Worli, Dadar-Mahim, Wadala, Bhandup, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar (West), Magathane, Dindoshi, Dahisar, Bandra (East) and Kalina.
