MNS backs Sena in KDMC, Shinde makes bid for control without BJP days after Maharashtra civic polls

MNS chief Raj Thackeray unexpectedly backs Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena in Kalyan, risking his alliance with Uddhav Thackeray amid civic election tensions.

MUMBAI: Political manoeuvring for control of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) in the civic elections has led MNS chief Raj Thackeray to back Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena in Kalyan, a surprise move considering that Shinde is the bete noire of Raj’s alliance partner Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Raj Thackeray, Chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and Uddhav Thackeray, Chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), reunited after 20 years at a public rally at NSCI Dome, Worli in Mumbai. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

The move could strain the alliance between Raj and Uddhav, who had joined forces with much fanfare for crucial elections to 29 municipal corporations in the state.

On Wednesday, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) extended the support of its five corporators to the Sena in the KDMC, adding crucial numbers to Shinde’s quest for a majority in the corporation.

The other big move was made by Shinde, who is making a bid for power in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), without his alliance partner, the BJP.

Shinde’s bid for control in Kalyan – he has also virtually outmanoeuvred the BJP in neighbouring Ulhasnagar – is likely to sharpen tensions between the Sena and BJP, which contested the civic polls together but have been locked in infighting ever since they, along with the NCP, seized power in Maharashtra in 2024.

The KDMC is particularly prestigious for the BJP as it is the home ground of the party’s state president Ravindra Chavan.

The intrigue runs deeper. By supporting Shinde in Kalyan, Raj has dealt his cousin Uddhav Thackeray a pointed blow. Compounding Uddhav’s troubles, four of his 11 corporators in the KDMC are now incommunicado.

Five MNS corporators declared their support to the Sena in the KDMC on Wednesday, with local MNS leader and former MLA Raju Patil announcing, “We are supporting the Shiv Sena for developmental work. This is a decision taken at the local level.”

In the civic house of 122, the Sena emerged as the largest party by winning 53 seats in alliance with BJP, which won 50 seats. The Sena was short of nine seats to win a majority on its own. With the MNS’s backing, the party is now only four shy of seizing control, 61 seats being the halfway mark.

Sena insiders said they are confident of also securing the support of the four “missing” Sena (UBT) corporators, who significantly were not present at the Konkan divisional commissioner’s office when the Sena (UBT) registered its group in Mumbai’s civic body, the BMC, and the KDMC.

These developments come only five days after results to elections in 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra were announced. The BJP and Sena contested as an alliance in only six of the nine corporations in the MMR, while the Thackeray cousins, estranged for around 20 years, joined forces for these crucial polls.

Using the ‘Marathi pride’ plank in Mumbai and the MMR, the Sena (UBT)-MNS together won 71 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – 65 seats going to the Sena (UBT) and six to the MNS. Party insiders say the MNS leadership believes it did not benefit from the alliance with Uddhav.

Shinde’s son and Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan, Shrikant Shinde, helming the party’s affairs in the KDMC, said: “We have registered a group of 53 corporators with the Konkan commissioner. The MNS has also registered and has given us their support.”

In an interesting take on the polls, he insists that the Sena will win a majority in the KDMC as the Mahayuti (BJP-Sena alliance) and that the MNS has supported the alliance, not just his party.

‘Local’ decision

Although MNS leaders claim the decision was taken at the local level, the Sena (UBT) is not amused. Party MP Sanjay Raut said any alliance with “traitors” is not acceptable to them. He said the Sena (UBT) is expecting Raj to take action against his corporators who are backing Shinde.

“During our campaign, we had pointed out the traitors of Maharashtra,” said Raut, referring to the Shinde-led Sena. “If any corporators from our allies have joined hands with those traitors for personal benefits, then even they would be considered traitors,” he fumed. He said it was unlikely that Raj had consented to the decision in Kalyan and he was expecting the MNS chief to take action against those corporators.

However, Raut met Raj on Wednesday, and expressed his unhappiness with the developments. “They say it’s a local issue. The party (MNS) must act against them,” he said.

The MNS’s official line is that the party had allowed its local leaders in Kalyan to forge alliances. “As a party, we are not connected to this,” said Mumbai MNS chief Sandeep Deshpande.

Senior Sena (UBT) leader. Anil Parab said, “They (MNS) have decided what they want to do and our party will take our stand.’’ On the four untraceable corporators, Parab remarked, “Two from the MNS had contested on Sena (UBT) tickets and two, denied tickets in the Shinde-led Sena, joined the Sena (UBT).’’

The BJP is, expectedly, taking potshots at the Thackeray cousins. “It’s barely four days since the results were announced. And even before the slogans raised by Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut die down, the MNS has quit their alliance in Kalyan. UBT corporators too have bid adieu to the party. Even a house of cards lasts longer,” taunted BJP chief spokesperson, Keshav Upadhye.

Sena eying Ulhas too

However, the BJP-Sena alliance does not have its own house in order. If Shinde is moving to win a majority sans its ally, the BJP, in the KDMC, he is making similar moves in neighbouring Ulhasnagar. The only difference is the two parties did not contest the civic polls here together.

In a house of 78 in Ulhasnagar, the BJP is the largest party with 37 seats, with the Sena bagging just one less, at 36. With the majority mark at 40, Shinde has secured the support of three corporators – two from Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and one independent. Of the remaining two corporators, one is from the Congress and the other an independent, leaving little scope for the BJP.

The Sena and BJP have contested as an alliance in six of the nine corporations in the MMR. “After today’s developments, we are in a position to win a majority on our own in three civic bodies – Thane, KDMC and Ulhasnagar, without the BJP’s support. Likewise, the BJP too has won three corporations on its own – in Mira-Bhayandar, Navi Mumbai and Panvel. This means both the parties are at par when it comes to strength in civic bodies,” said a Sena leader.

Of the three remaining corporations, the BJP-Sena has together won power in the BMC, while the opposition parties have a majority in Vasai-Virar and Bhiwandi-Nizampur.

Asked by mediapersons about Shinde’s moves in the KDMC and Ulhasnagar, Senior BJP leader Pravin Darekar told the media on Wednesday, “Entire Maharashtra knows what happens if Devabhau (Devendra Fadnavis) resorts to such moves. He has outsmarted even Sharad Pawar.”