Mumbai Mayor Race Tight, says Sanjay Raut
UBT claims 108 support against Mahayuti’s 118; alleges Shinde Sena corporators kept in hotels to prevent defections
- Mahayuti alliance crosses majority with 118 corporators in BMC
- UBT-led bloc claims backing of 108, just six short of majority
- Raut alleges Shinde camp fears defections, keeps corporators in hotels
- Shinde faction calls it a “training workshop,” denies poaching fears
GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 19th Jan: Despite the Mahayuti alliance crossing the majority mark in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Sanjay Raut has insisted that the race for the Mumbai Mayor’s chair is still very much open and could take unexpected turns.
In the recently concluded BMC elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while its ally Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured 29 wards, taking the ruling Mahayuti alliance to a total of 118 corporators — four above the majority mark of 114 in the 227-member civic body, which has an annual budget exceeding ₹74,000 crore.
However, Raut claimed that the Shiv Sena (UBT), along with its allies, commands the support of 108 corporators — only six short of a majority. Uddhav Thackeray’s party won 65 seats, while Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which allied with UBT weeks before the polls, secured six. The Congress, in alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), won 24 seats, AIMIM took eight, the Samajwadi Party two, Ajit Pawar’s NCP three, and the Sharad Pawar faction one.
Calling the contest “far from over,” Raut told NDTV, “It is 108 versus 118. We are just six seats short. In Mumbai politics, anything can happen — just wait and watch.”
He also launched a sharp attack on Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, alleging that Shinde had moved his 29 Sena corporators-elect to luxury hotels in Bandra and Kalyan-Dombivli out of fear of defections. “Our corporators are at home living normal lives. Shinde is the one living in fear. You can lock people in hotels, but you cannot lock their minds,” Raut said. He claimed many newly elected representatives did not want a BJP Mayor in Mumbai.
The Shinde camp rejected the allegations, stating that the corporators were staying at a five-star hotel for a training workshop. Party sources said the arrangement was meant to help Shinde interact with the new members, brief them on governance, and protect them from possible poaching attempts.
With both sides claiming confidence, the battle for Mumbai’s top civic post is set to intensify in the coming days.
