Mumbai BEST credit society election results: Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance loses all 21 seats; Shashank Rao panel emerges dominant

NEW DELHI: The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) alliance faced a major blow after losing all 21 seats in the election to the BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society Ltd — a platform seen as a testing ground for a broader political tie-up between the two Thackeray-led parties. Suhas Samant, president of the BEST Kamgar Sena (aligned with Sena-UBT), told PTI on Wednesday that the "defeat of all its 21 candidates was shocking." The MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray respectively, had come together under a panel named 'Utkarsh' and fielded 21 candidates — 18 from Sena (UBT), two from MNS, and one from the Association of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes aligned with them.

Voting was held on Monday and counting continued till late Tuesday night. The rival panel, led by union leader Shashank Rao, bagged the maximum 14 seats. "Money prevailed in this election," Samant claimed. MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande on Monday alleged that money was being used to lure voters in the BEST credit society. The loss comes at a time when speculation is rife about a possible Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance for upcoming local body polls across Maharashtra, including the politically and financially significant Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Leaders from both parties had admitted that MNS lacked strength in the BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) undertaking, but considered the cooperative society election a useful opportunity to test their joint clout. They also saw it as a platform to send a political message about the unity between the two Thackeray cousins. The BJP’s Prasad Lad had floated the ‘Sahakar Samruddhi’ panel for the polls, while another panel was backed by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.

In all, five panels contested. The BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society has over 15,000 members — all current and former BEST employees — who form its electoral college. For years, it has been dominated by the BEST Kamgar Sena aligned with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).