‘Beware of the plan to snatch your city’: Thackeray cousins to Thane voters

“These elections are different. The BJP is distributing money and Shinde’s men are catching them. Don’t know what’s going on,” quipped Raj

MUMBAI: In their concluding rally on Monday for the civic polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray appealed to Thane voters to beware of the “plan to snatch their city” and cautioned them against accepting money in lieu of votes. They also presented their candidates, who they claimed had been offered money to back out but refused.

Thane, India - January -12, 2026: On the occasion of the municipal corporation general elections, as an alliance has been formed between Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS, a joint alliance meeting has been organized on Monday in Thane city, where Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray are seen present. near masunda lake Thane ,in Thane ,in Mumbai, India, on, Monday, January -12, 2026. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo)

“These elections are different. The BJP is distributing money and Shinde’s men are catching them. Don’t know what’s going on,” quipped Raj. He was referring to Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane raiding a BJP worker’s house in November 2025 and showcasing a bag of cash on social media. Rane had declared that the BJP was distributing money ahead of the high-stakes Malvan-Kankavli local body elections.

Referring to the Mahayuti, Raj said, “They are paying ₹5,000 per vote. They keep saying they have brought in a lot of development—if they have to pay voters, what development are they talking about? More than the buyers of votes, I am worried about the sellers. What will their children say—that they sold their vote for money?”

Raj said that candidates were given money in 66 wards to withdraw so that the Mahayuti candidates could win unopposed. “The extent to which the ruling front is stooping in order to get its candidates elected unopposed is amazing,” he said.

Bringing Shailesh, Manisha and Pooja Dhatrak, all MNS candidates, on the dais, Raj said that they were collectively offered ₹15 crore to withdraw from the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation polls but refused. He also cited the case of another MNS candidate, Rajashree Naik from Thane, who was offered ₹5 crore but turned it down. All the candidates got loud applause from the audience.

Raj and Uddhav also presented other candidates who refused to back out of the elections though they were offered money. “I don’t know where so many crores of rupees have come from,” said Raj. “I have seen many elections but never one like this. But there is no point in going to the police and courts.”

Talking about builders, the MNS chief pointed out that a 1,000-acre tract of reserve forest land was to be doled out to builders in Thane, but this was stopped when there environmentalists lambasted the move. He said the conspiracy was backed by Eknath Shinde but forest minister Ganesh Naik stopped it.

Uddhav Thackeray, on his part, trained his guns on Naik’s recent statement that leopards entering human settlements must be shot. He asked what treatment ought to be meted out in that case to people who stepped into land meant for leopards.

Uddhav alleged that the Mahayuti had been emptying the coffers as well as the reserves of the civic bodies. “The BJP is looting more than the British,” he said, adding that the party had changed. “Earlier, it was nation first and now it is corruption first,” he quipped.