The Maharashtra CM said the upcoming civic polls are a battle for survival for the cousins, not for Marathi people. He also stressed that Marathi is the only compulsory language in Maharashtra and declared that the Mahayuti flag will unfurl atop BMC
Mahayuti leaders address a joint rally in Shivaji Park, Mumbai, on Monday. PIC/ASHISH RAJE
Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde on Monday launched a strong attack on cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, asserting that Mumbai is inseparable from Maharashtra. The duo was addressing a joint rally ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Election at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
Fadnavis said the upcoming civic polls are a battle for survival for the cousins, not for Marathi people.
“Your own survival is at stake. This is not the last election for Mumbai and Marathi people; your own survival is at stake,” he said, responding to Raj Thackeray’s remarks that the upcoming BMC Election 2026 would be the last for Marathi people.
Fadnavis stressed that Marathi is the only compulsory language in Maharashtra.
“Under a three-language policy, one can learn any language of their choice, but Marathi is a compulsory language in Maharashtra,” he added.
The Maharashtra CM also declared that the Mahayuti flag will unfurl atop BMC and played old videos of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray attacking each other.
BMC Election 2026: Eknath Shinde urges voters to back Mahayuti for development
Shinde, meanwhile, said, “No power on earth can take Mumbai away from Maharashtra,” describing the opposition’s narrative as a “fear-mongering tactic” to hide their lack of a development agenda.
Speaking at the same rally, he urged cadres and voters to support Mahayuti to elect a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mayor and unfurl the saffron flag atop the BMC.
Calling the BMC Election 2026 the “final over” to clean up corruption in the civic body, Shinde said voters should choose “development over division”. Criticising the recent joint rally of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray in Thane, he said, “This is not a ‘Milap’ (union) of hearts; it is a ‘Vilap’ (lament) of those who fear losing their last bastion. Two people who couldn’t stand each other for 20 years are now holding hands because the ground beneath them is shifting.”
Shinde also claimed that his faction is the “real” Shiv Sena of Balasaheb Thackeray, alleging that the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction has compromised on Hindutva by aligning with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). He highlighted completed projects such as the Atal Setu, Mumbai Coastal Road, and the Dharavi Redevelopment Project as proof of the Mahayuti’s “double engine” speed compared to the previous administration’s “speed breakers”.
The rally came as the three Mahayuti parties — BJP, Shiv Sena, and Republican Party of India (Athawale) — campaign together for BMC Election 2026, scheduled on Thursday, January 15. Campaigning for the election will conclude on Tuesday, January 13, at 5 pm.
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(With PTI and IANS inputs)
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