Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut suggested on Saturday that the party might contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections independently while staying within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
Speaking to reporters, Raut said party workers were pushing for a solo run in the local body polls due to a higher number of aspirants compared to Lok Sabha or state assembly elections.
“Discussions are ongoing between Uddhav Thackeray and other leaders about contesting the BMC polls alone. Our workers want the party to go solo,” he stated.
The undivided Shiv Sena held control of the cash-rich BMC for 25 consecutive years, from 1997 to 2022. With the term of the previous BMC representatives ending in March 2022, fresh elections have been pending for nearly three years. Raut asserted that the party’s influence in Mumbai remains strong.
“If we had contested more seats in Mumbai during the assembly polls, we would have secured more victories,” he claimed, emphasizing that winning Mumbai is crucial to prevent the city’s separation from Maharashtra.
In the assembly elections, the Shiv Sena contested 24 seats in Mumbai and won 10, while the Congress secured four seats out of 10 contested. The NCP (SP) contested two seats but did not win.
“Even during our alliance with the BJP, the (undivided) Shiv Sena contested the BMC and other local body elections independently. We are exploring ways to do so again. However, the MVA will remain intact in the Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Nashik civic bodies,” Raut added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced last week that the Shiv Sena would contest the BMC elections, likely next year, as part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
“The BMC elections will be contested as Mahayuti in all 227 civic wards,” said Shinde, who leads the Shiv Sena faction allied with the BJP and NCP in the Mahayuti.
