30 December,2025 07:41 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray announced a pre-poll alliance for the Mumbai civic polls last week. File Pic
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray met his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence 'Matoshree' on Tuesday evening, as nomination filing for the upcoming civic polls concluded, news agency PTI reported.
The meeting is seen as an effort to iron out last-minute seat-sharing issues.
Elections to 29 civic bodies, including the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15 and the counting of votes will take place the next day. Tuesday was the last day for the filing of nomination papers.
MNS and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) are contesting the civic polls in alliance in Mumbai and several other cities. In Mumbai, the two parties have aligned with the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
While there is still no clarity on the number of seats the two parties are contesting in BMC Election 2026, sources said the Sena (UBT) will fight over 150 seats while 11 have been allotted to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). The rest will go to MNS.
The Sena (UBT) and MNS announced a pre-poll alliance for the Mumbai civic polls last week.
BMC Election 2026 can be viewed as a high-stakes battle for Uddhav Thackeray, as he attempts to reclaim control of the country's richest civic body, which was ruled by the undivided Shiv Sena from 1997 to 2022.
Ruling allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will contest on 137 and 90 seats, respectively, in BMC polls.
Raj Thackeray, the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), has said the party must prepare for a bigger and longer fight to save Mumbai. Speaking at a closed-door meeting of party leaders and workers, Thackeray said projects such as the bullet train terminal planned at Bandra (near Dharavi) and the proposed Vadhavan Port in Palghar are deliberate attempts to shift business away from Mumbai and weaken the city.
According to party sources, in a veiled reference to the Adani Group and the BJP, Thackeray hinted that big corporate interests were trying to take control of Mumbai with help from the ruling regime.
The Adani Group is leading the Dharavi redevelopment project through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) called Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd. The project is being carried out as a public-private partnership, in which the Adani-owned company holds an 80 per cent stake, while the Maharashtra government holds the remaining 20 per cent stake.
"We need to stay united and fight tooth and nail to stop our rivals and protect Mumbai," Thackeray is said to have told party workers at the Rangsharda Auditorium in Bandra on Monday. The MNS chief also cautioned party workers that the fight ahead would not be easy and that it would be a long and difficult battle. However, he added that victory could be assured if everyone stayed united and remained committed to the party's goals.
Initially, mediapersons were allowed inside the auditorium to cover the meeting. However, after reporters were asked to leave, these remarks were shared by the MNS President in a closed-door interaction with party workers.
(With PTI inputs)
