Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray cast his vote along with his wife Rashmi Thackeray and sons Aaditya and Tejas at the Sahitya Sahwas polling centre in Kala Nagar, Bandra, during Mumbai’s ongoing civic body polls (PICS/SHADAB KHAN)
Updated On: 2026-01-15 03:05 PM IST
Compiled by : Tarun Verma
Voting in 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra began on Thursday morning with spotlight on Mumbai, where the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is locked in an intense battle with the reunited Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, for the control of India's largest and richest civic body
Casting aspersions on the integrity of the Maharashtra State Election Commissioner, Thackeray questioned the delay in conducting the state municipal elections. "It should be revealed how the Election Commissioner is paid. The Mumbai municipal elections are being held after a nine-year gap. What were the Election Commissioner and his staff doing for these years? Action should be taken against them," Uddhav Thackeray said
These are the first BMC polls since the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena when Eknath Shinde broke away with a majority of the party's MLAs. The undivided Shiv Sena held sway over India's richest civic body for 25 years (1997-2022)
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also urged voters to cast their votes, stating that he and his family had exercised their right. "Our entire family voted together, and we appeal to all voters in all constituencies where elections are being held to cast their votes," he said
In a significant political turn ahead of the elections, estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray reunited after two decades in their bid to consolidate Marathi votes even as rival NCP factions forged a local alliance in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad
Thackeray also alleged that the indelible ink, which is put on the fingers of electors after voting, is being easily removed with nail polish remover and sanitisers, allowing certain people to seemingly vote more than once. He said that such a situation is proof of 'collusion' between the ruling Mahayuti and the State Election Commission (SEC)
Aaditya Thackeray at the Siddhivinayak Temple, taking blessing of Lord Ganesha ahead of the BMC Elections 2026
The visit is symbolic as the Thackeray cousins have claimed that they are fighting the election together to save Mumbai
Vote counting for all 29 civic bodies will be held tomorrow.
