22 January,2026 08:59 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Bala Nandgaonkar. FILE PIC
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Bala Nandgaonkar on Thursday said "anything can happen in politics," a day after his party extended support to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) following the recent civic polls, news agency PTI reported.
The development triggered sharp political reactions, even as Shiv Sena (UBT), which had contested the civic elections in alliance with the MNS, said the move was not acceptable to MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
A new political equation emerged in KDMC in neighbouring Thane district on Wednesday when five corporators of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS supported the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led alliance. In the January 15 civic polls, the Shiv Sena won 53 seats, followed by the BJP with 50 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) 11, MNS five, Congress two and NCP (SP) one.
Responding to the developments, Nandgaonkar said Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray were seasoned leaders who did not need advice on political decisions.
When asked whether a similar situation could arise in Mumbai, he said, "It will not be appropriate to comment on it. Anything can happen at any time in politics. Just as the BJP and the Congress are together in Chandrapur, and in Konkan, Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) have also come together."
On the Sena-MNS alignment in Kalyan-Dombivli, Nandgaonkar said the party had authorised its local leadership to take decisions, PTI reported.
"We had authorised local leadership to take decisions and it was taken accordingly," he said, while adding that the party was contemplating action against the local leadership over the tie-up with the Shinde-led Sena.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, however, asserted that the KDMC development did not reflect the MNS's official stand and was not acceptable to Raj Thackeray.
"If your local leadership wanted to have such an alliance, then it should not have forged a tie-up with Shiv Sena (UBT) in Kalyan-Dombivli," Raut said.
Adding another political twist, Raut said his party could consider aligning with the BJP in certain circumstances but ruled out any tie-up with Shinde, PTI reported.
"We can go with the BJP in some place where there is extreme instability, but will never go with Shinde. If there are other options, then the party chief will take a call," he said.
Raut also stated that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray was aware of the developments in Kalyan-Dombivli.
"He had all the information about what was happening in Kalyan. He also told me about it. He is aware of what is happening now," Raut said.
(With PTI inputs)
