28 December,2025 01:35 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Uday Samant. File Pic
The seat-sharing talks between the Shiv Sena and the BJP for the upcoming BMC elections 2026 are in the final stages, Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant has said, reported news agency PTI.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Sawant said it is certain that the BMC elections 2026 will be contested by the ruling parties as Mahayuti, and exuded confidence that the alliance will come to power in the BMC, Asia's largest civic body, reported PTI.
"Seat-sharing talks are in the final stages. Instead of talking about who gets how many seats, we are contesting 227 seats as Mahayuti," he said, reported PTI.
Taking a dig at the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Samant said some parties have allied to save their existence.
The BJP and Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, are keen on an alliance but are yet to announce the seat-sharing formula and details of their nominees. BMC has 227 civic wards.
A Sena leader had earlier said that deadlocks over seats persist between the two parties, and talks are still underway for the civic bodies in Mira Bhayander, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan Dombivli.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra will be held on January 15. The last date to file the nominations is December 30.
Meanwhile, talks between Maharashtra's ruling allies Shiv Sena and BJP for alliance in the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Thane city are almost over, while discussions are still underway for three seats, a Sena leader said on Saturday.
"The details of the alliance will be declared by our senior leaders soon," Thane Lok Sabha member Naresh Mhaske from the Shiv Sena said.
The issue of three seats has been referred to them for the final decision, he said after marathon meetings between local leaders of the two parties.
"Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, have given clear directions that the alliance between the two parties will stay strong, and we are progressing in that direction," he said.
There are a total of 131 seats in Thane for which elections will be held on January 15,
Replying to a question why the third Mahayuti constituent - Ajit Pawar's NCP - was not contesting the upcoming local polls with Sena and BJP, Mhaske said since NCP's city unit president Najeeb Mulla had declared that they will not not go with the two parties, it has been kept out of the alliance talks.
(With inputs from PTI)
