BJP Internal Assessment Puts Mahayuti Ahead In BMC Polls, Says Thackeray Reunion Won't Sway Voters

Last Updated:October 17, 2025, 14:15 IST

The BJP’s latest internal review across 227 wards suggests the Mahayuti alliance could cross the 120-seat mark in Mumbai’s civic elections, even if the Thackeray cousins reunite

Eknath Shinde with Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. (PTI Photo)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has completed a fresh round of internal assessment for all 227 wards of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and the findings suggest that the Mahayuti alliance is in a strong position to cross the 120-seat mark in the upcoming Mumbai civic elections.

According to sources, this is the third round of analysis conducted by the party since the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. The study reportedly shows that the BJP-led Mahayuti—which includes the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP—has managed to consolidate its position across several key wards in the city.

Party insiders revealed that the latest data indicates little to no ground-level impact if the Thackeray cousins—Raj and Uddhav—were to reunite. “The analysis shows that voters are largely aligning along local development and performance rather than emotional or family-driven politics," said a source familiar with the findings.

While the BJP is confident about its performance, discussions within the alliance over seat-sharing are still underway. It remains unclear how many wards the Shinde-led Shiv Sena will contest under the Mahayuti arrangement.

It will be a litmus test for Shinde, who has secured the party name and symbol, and it will be interesting to see whether he is able to convince the BJP leadership to give him a lion’s share in the Mumbai and Thane civic body elections, where until last time, the Shiv Sena had established its mayor. Sources further indicated that clarity on this front will emerge only after the BJP finalises its candidate list.

For ticket allocation, the BJP is adopting a merit-based approach. One of the key criteria being used is a candidate’s performance and community engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are considering how candidates served people during the crisis, how many welfare or public programmes they organised, and the extent of their direct connect with voters in their wards," the source further explained.

The BJP leadership believes this data-driven and performance-based selection process will help ensure strong local candidates with higher chances of victory.

The BMC, Asia’s richest civic body, has been under political spotlight as no elections have been held for more than three years and an administrator has been running the show. There is no doubt that the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena (UBT) wants to re-establish its dominance after the vertical split in the party, which is why talks with the Raj Thackeray-led MNS are still underway. On the other hand, the BJP is working aggressively with the aim of installing its own mayor in Mumbai this time with the help of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar.

Responding to the BJP’s claims, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said, “BJP does all these surveys and analysis and tries to see how people react to it. This is their old trick to get reactions from people. The Thackeray brothers should reunite and work together — that is the wish of the people of Maharashtra and Mumbai."

“The reunion is not happening just for vote politics. We are here to win people’s hearts and not to do petty politics. We are still waiting for the local body elections to be announced. Once the BJP is done with their planning and plotting of votes, they may announce it. But we know that the Thackerays have worked for the people and will continue to work for the people, as we want to serve them and not rule them," he added.

With the Mahayuti projecting unity and the BJP banking on grassroots performance, the contest for Mumbai’s civic throne is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched battles in the upcoming political season.

Mayuresh Ganapatye

Mayuresh Ganapatye, News Editor at News18.com, writes on politics and civic issues, as well as human interests stories. He has been covering Maharashtra and Goa for more than a decade. Follow him at @mayuganapa...Read More

Mayuresh Ganapatye, News Editor at News18.com, writes on politics and civic issues, as well as human interests stories. He has been covering Maharashtra and Goa for more than a decade. Follow him at @mayuganapa...

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News elections BJP Internal Assessment Puts Mahayuti Ahead In BMC Polls, Says Thackeray Reunion Won't Sway Voters

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