Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde moved quickly to secure his numbers after the BMC verdict by shifting newly elected Shiv Sena corporators to a hotel in Bandra amid fears of poaching, while a defiant Uddhav Thackeray sought to rally his cadre, insisting that it remained his “dream” to see a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor elected in Mumbai despite losing control of India’s richest civic body and that shall come true "if god is willing".
Addressing Sena (UBT) workers in Mumbai, Uddhav Thackeray sought to recast the loss of the BMC not as a defeat but as a morale-boosting outcome achieved under difficult circumstances.
“You all are the true architects of this success; we are merely a medium. The result that has come in such circumstances is truly a matter of pride,” he said, repeatedly praising party cadres for standing by the organisation despite scarce resources.
Launching a sharp attack on the BJP and the ruling alliance, Thackeray accused them of misusing power and winning the civic polls through “betrayal”.
“They believe they have finished Shiv Sena on paper, but they can never destroy the Shiv Sena that exists on the ground. They can never remain connected to the ground,” he said, alleging that every tactic - “saam, daam, dand, bhed” - was deployed against his party. “The traitors left, but they could not buy loyalty,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“They believe they have finished Shiv Sena on paper, but they can never destroy the Shiv Sena that exists on the ground. They can never remain connected to the ground,” he said, alleging that every tactic - “saam, daam, dand, bhed” - was deployed against his party. “The traitors left, but they could not buy loyalty,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}In one of his strongest remarks, Thackeray alleged that the BJP had “mortgaged Mumbai” to secure victory.
“Those who have won through betrayal have done so by mortgaging Mumbai. The Marathi people will never forgive this sin,” he told workers, reiterating that the Sena (UBT) remained the true representative of the Marathi manoos.
Thackeray said it's his dream to install Shiv Sena (UBT)'s mayor in Mumbai, and if God is willing, this dream will be realised.
Why Shinde is worried: the numbers behind the hotel move
In the 227-member BMC, the majority mark stands at 114. The BJP has won 89 seats and the Eknath Shinde–led Shiv Sena 29, taking the ruling alliance to 118, just four seats above the halfway mark.
With margins thin and the stakes high ahead of the mayoral election in India’s richest civic body, Shinde has moved his newly elected corporators to a hotel to guard against poaching or last-minute defections that could upset the arithmetic and complicate control of the civic house.
Party leaders said the move was a precautionary step to prevent poaching at a time when the numbers are close and the mayoral contest is imminent.