After Maharashtra civic poll setback, Raj Thackeray asks MNS corporators to turn municipal houses into battlegrounds against ‘rule of money power’

MUMBAI: Striking a defiant note in the aftermath of the high-stakes civic elections, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Friday acknowledged the party's below-expectation performance but urged his newly elected corporators to turn municipal houses into battlegrounds against what he described as the "rule of money power" and policies detrimental to Marathi interests.Addressing party workers and supporters, Thackeray congratulated elected corporators of both the MNS and Shiv Sena, underlining that the elections were fought in adverse circumstances. "This election was not easy. It was a battle between the power of wealth and power, and it was directed against the Shiv Sena," he said, crediting grassroots workers for holding their ground despite the odds.While conceding that the MNS did not secure the kind of mandate it had hoped for, Thackeray made it clear that electoral setbacks would not blunt the party's political edge. "We are not the kind to get discouraged. Our elected corporators will bury the rulers there," he said, adding, that "if they see anything happening against the Marathi people, they will definitely bring those rulers to book." Political observers see Thackeray's remarks as a bid to reposition the MNS as a combative force within civic governance rather than merely a player measured by seat tallies.