Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday described the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections held on January 15 as a “strange” and desperate fight for his opponents. Making serious allegations, he claimed that the ruling alliance adopted “every possible means” from distributing cash to forcing candidates to withdraw from the elections and allegedly kidnapping them to achieve victory.
Addressing a press conference after the election’s crushing defeat, Thackeray said, “This election was very strange. It seemed as if it was a life-or-death election for them. They adopted every means, from giving money to kidnapping our candidates; they forced the candidates to withdraw their nominations.”
However, he appreciated the citizens of Mumbai who remained undeterred despite attempts at intimidation and expressed his deep gratitude to those who supported the Shiv Shakti alliance, the first-ever collaboration between his faction and his cousin Raj Thackeray’s MNS.
A day after the BMC election results were declared, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday expressed his gratitude to the citizens who voted for the ‘Thackeray brothers’ alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections held on January 15.
“Voters are the protectors of democracy,” he said, adding that those who were not afraid have proved that the “power of Shiv Sena UBT” remains intact at the grassroots level. Uddhav Thackeray also admitted that his dream of seeing a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in the BMC remains unfulfilled for now.
“Our mayor’s wish was not fulfilled, but the results have definitely shown the strength of the Shiv Sena UBT,” he said. Thackeray also apologized for being absent from the election campaign in some areas and expressed his deep gratitude to those who supported the Shiv Shakti alliance, the first collaboration between his faction and his cousin Raj Thackeray’s MNS.
Uddhav Thackeray said, “The election results were declared yesterday. I could not go to many places to campaign, but we got good support at many places. I would first like to apologize to those voters where I could not reach. I thank all those who voted for the Shiv Shakti alliance (with MNS).”
Despite the grand alliance (BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena) getting a majority, Thackeray’s address focused on his party’s resilience and the “unprecedented” nature of this fight. After nearly three decades of dominance by the Thackeray family over India’s wealthiest municipal body, the 2026 BMC election results marked a historic change. BJP emerged as the largest party with 89 seats, while the Mahayuti alliance crossed the majority mark with 118 seats. However, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) also won a respectable 65 seats.
UBT-led Shiv Sena got 7,17,736 votes, which is 13.13 percent of the total votes polled. MNS added 6 seats to the alliance with 74,946 votes and its vote share was 1.37 percent. The Indian National Congress (INC) won 24 seats by securing 2,42,646 votes, which is 4.44 percent of the total vote share.
Meanwhile, after the landslide victory of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in Maharashtra, Mumbai is witnessing a power tussle and hotel politics as the Shiv Sena has put up all its newly elected councilors in a hotel in Bandra, sources said. According to sources, the Shinde Sena may demand the mayor’s post in India’s richest municipal corporation as it celebrates the centenary of its founder Bal Thackeray. Which will be a fitting tribute on his 100th birthday on 23rd January.
However, discussions cannot be held for the mayor’s post in any of the 29 municipalities until the reservation for the mayor’s post of each municipality is clarified. In November 2025, the Supreme Court observed that OBC reservation in 40 municipal councils and 17 district nagar panchayats has crossed the fifty percent limit, and said that the State Election Commission can decide whether to continue with the election process as it ultimately decides before a three-judge bench. The case will be subject to further proceedings, with a court hearing scheduled for January 2026.
Additionally, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the most prominent face of the BJP in the state, is going to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum and will likely return to Mumbai only by January 24. This morning, Fadnavis said that the decision on the mayor’s post will be taken together by him, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and party leaders. “There is no dispute on this,” he clarified. After winning a majority in the 29 corporations that went to polls, the Chief Minister said the Mahayuti will form mayors in these 25 municipal bodies.
BJP’s vote share among the winning candidates in the BMC elections stood at 45.22 per cent, making it the largest party in the civic body. Its ally Shiv Sena won 29 seats with 2,73,326 votes, which is 5% of the total vote share.
