Mumbai: The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, buoyed by the recent municipal council election results, is now bargaining hard in the seat-sharing negotiations with the BJP for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, which has led to a stalemate between the ruling allies.
A formal announcement earlier this week of an alliance between the Thackeray cousins—Uddhav and Raj—over the ‘sons of the soil’ agenda also appears to have strengthened Shinde’s position. Now, the BJP needs to project its proximity to Shinde to counter the Thackeray overtures to the city’s Marathi ‘manoos’.
The elections to the BMC and 28 other municipal corporations across the state are scheduled for 15 January 2026.
“Our position has become stronger because single-handedly, Eknath Shinde has fetched victory, contesting against every party, particularly the BJP,” Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande told ThePrint. “The BJP needs Shinde’s goodwill, as his image crosses party lines. He cannot be written off. We can bargain harder now.”
But BJP leaders, who wanted to contest the municipal corporation polls—except for Mumbai—solo, aren’t willing to budge much.
“Our state president made it clear that the BJP has the capacity to come into power on its own. Our performance in Thane district speaks for itself,” a BJP leader said, referring to the party’s capture of the council chief posts in the Sena’s traditional strongholds of Ambernath and Badlapur.
“There are certain reasons to formally ally with the Shiv Sena. But no one should have any doubts about who the ‘bigger brother’ is in Maharashtra,” the BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, further told ThePrint.
In the previously held elections to the 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats across the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra, the BJP emerged as the strongest and largest party with 117 wins. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, however, surprised everyone, securing the second place with its 53 seats, significantly outperforming the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction.
For the last few days, the BJP and the Shinde-led Sena have once again been holding meetings on seat-sharing for the BMC polls. The seat-sharing formula would most likely be declared by this weekend. Before that, a final meeting of the ruling allies took place Friday.
According to the Shiv Sena sources in the BMC, it expects nearly 100 of the 227 seats, leaving a maximum of 127 seats open. But, according to BJP sources, its leaders hope to contest roughly 150 wards. Leaders of both parties, however, fear rebellions by those who won’t get tickets, so the seat-sharing formula won’t be declared until next week.
Last date for filing nominations for the upcoming elections is 30 December, with the scrutiny of nominations to be completed the following day.
Also Read: ‘Shah company’ on target, Thackerays want Mumbai civic poll to play out like Samyukta Maharashtra 2.0
A deadlock
After the municipal council results and some meetings in Delhi by the BJP high command, the Maharashtra BJP has decided to tie up with Shinde’s Sena for the corporation polls, setting aside its ambitions of going solo as of now.
However, the BJP’s hopes to contest 40-45 of the 131 seats in the Thane municipal corporation and has hit a deadlock.
Contesting this, a Shiv Sena leader from Thane said, “That’s a lot to give. We are in our final talks. Last time, we won 67 seats. The BJP won just 20.”
On the other hand, the BJP leaders, who, over the past few years, have been aggressively creating a base in Thane, are not willing to compromise so easily.
“We have cultivated workers and leaders. There are hopeful people who want tickets. As a party, we are also stronger in the state as compared to the last time when the elections happened. So, we cannot be taken for granted,” the BJP leader quoted above asserted.
In the 95-seat Mira Bhayandar corporation, there’s also an impasse over seat sharing since Sena leaders believe the situation this time is different and the 2017 formula cannot be used.
“If we look at 2017, we had 22 [seats to contest], and the BJP had 61. But the situation has changed. Our party’s strength has increased, so we want an equal share,” Maharashtra Minister and Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik told the media. “But since the BJP is our big brother, if it gets a few more seats, we are fine. The seat division should be respectable.”
In some corporations, however, talks are nearly complete.
In Ch Sambhajinagar, no consensus has been reached on “only four-five” of the 113 seats, Maharashtra minister and Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat told the media. “But we are hopeful that we will be able to declare the formula by tonight. Everyone will get a respectable share.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: BJP’s sweep, boost for Shinde, MVA’s fall—what local body polls say about power play in Maharashtra
