29 December,2025 08:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Addressing party workers at Rangasharda auditorium, Raj Thackeray said the elections were crucial to "save Mumbai". File Pic
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Monday asked party workers and office-bearers to set aside their differences and work unitedly with Shiv Sena (UBT) to ensure the alliance's victory in the BMC Election 2026 scheduled for January 15, reported the PTI.
Addressing party workers at Rangasharda auditorium, Raj Thackeray said the elections were crucial to "save Mumbai".
Raj Thackeray warned that some people harboured ambitions to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra and said such attempts must be defeated.
Quoting him, MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said, "The dream of breaking Mumbai must be destroyed. Mumbai belongs to the Marathi manoos and Maharashtra. This election is extremely important for the Marathi manoos. No fight is bigger than Maharashtra," according to the PTI.
Thackeray stressed the need to follow alliance dharma, noting that every seat was important in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.
"Keep differences aside to save Mumbai. Party workers and local functionaries must campaign for Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) candidates. This support will be reciprocated by Shiv Sena (UBT)," he said.
He added that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP SP) would also be part of the alliance.
Nandgaonkar said AB forms, required for filing nominations as official party candidates, would be distributed on Monday. He added that last-minute talks were still under way for a couple of wards.
Acknowledging that some party workers were unhappy after missing out on nominations due to the alliance, Nandgaonkar urged them not to lose heart.
"This is not the last election. Workers should remain committed and focused," he said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections will be held on January 15. The last date for filing nominations is December 30, while votes will be counted on January 16.
Meanwhile, MNS President Raj Thackeray on Monday formally kickstarted the party's campaign and announced its first candidate for the civic polls.
Senior MNS leader and party spokesperson Yashwant Killedar has been handed the âAB form' to contest from the Dadar (Shivaji Park) area, news agency IANS reported. Killedar is considered to be one of the party's key leaders.
The announcement from MNS comes amid heightened political activity in Mumbai, with major parties in the process of finalising seat-sharing arrangements for the civic polls.
By issuing the AB form from Dadar, the MNS leadership has indicated that the party is preparing to intensify its ground-level mobilisation in traditional Marathi-dominated pockets of the city.
(with PTI inputs)
