- By Aditya Jha
- Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:28 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
BMC Poll Results: After losing the hold over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after two decades in the recently concluded polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders expressed their frustration on Friday. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), party MP Sanjay Raut stated that the BJP would have never become the single largest party if Shiv Sena had remained undivided. He stated that Mumbai will get its first mayor from BJP due to the betrayal of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, adding that Marathi people will never forgive him. The ruling Mahayuti, led by BJP, managed to cross the halfway mark in the 227-member civic body.
In his post, Raut claimed that people of Maharashtra will always remember Shinde as Jaichand (a historical figure known for betrayal). "Had Eknath Shinde not been a Jaichand to Shiv Sena, Mumbai would not have seen a BJP mayor. Marathi people will always remember Shinde as Jaichand," Raut stated. The ruling alliance managed to get the majority, with the saffron party becoming the single largest party by winning 90 seats.
The victory of Mahayuti has ended the nearly three decades of uninterrupted dominance of the Thackerays on the richest civic body of India. The Thackeray brothers, Raj and Uddhav, joined hands after two decades to contest the polls together; however, the alliance could only win 67 seats.
Earlier in 2022, Shinde, along with other leaders, revolted against the top brass of Shiv Sena and dislodged Uddhav Thackeray's government. While Shiv Sena (UBT) outplayed Shinde's Sena in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Shinde has managed to get more seats in the Assembly election and local body polls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the BJP-Shiv Sena-led victory in the Maharashtra civic polls, attributing the win to the "pro-people good governance" agenda. Expressing gratitude to the electors, PM Modi said that the NDA's "vision for development has struck a chord" with the people of the state.