BMC elections 2026: Raj Thackeray urges MNS workers not to worry over seat sharing

Raj Thackeray. File Pic/Rane Ashish

Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), on Monday urged party workers to view the ongoing seat-sharing talks with the Shiv Sena (UBT) in a broader perspective and not be disheartened by the distribution of seats.

Addressing party cadres amid negotiations for the 227 wards of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Thackeray said the focus should remain on safeguarding Mumbai rather than getting drawn into a "numbers game." He emphasised the need to recognise the challenges facing the city and to prioritise its protection over internal anxieties related to seat allocation.

"I will speak more about the elections and this issue in the coming days during the campaign," Thackeray told workers at a meeting held at Rangsharda Auditorium in Bandra. The interaction took place in Mumbai on Monday.

The Sena (UBT) last week announced an alliance with Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the Mumbai civic polls, but the parties haven't yet declared their lists of candidates.

Elections to 29 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, will be held on January 15. The counting of votes will take place the next day.

The election to the BMC 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 has been under the undivided Shiv Sena from 1997 to 2022.