Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has asked all newly elected corporators of his Shiv Sena faction to assemble at a five-star hotel in Mumbai, as intense bargaining begins over the formation of power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
According to party sources, the 29 corporators elected on the Shinde Sena ticket have been instructed to reach the Taj Lands End hotel in Bandra by 3 pm on Wednesday and stay there for the next three days. The move is aimed at preventing any attempts at “horse-trading” or poaching by rival parties at a time when negotiations over the civic body’s leadership are underway.
With 29 seats, the Shinde faction has emerged as a crucial ally for the BJP, which has fallen short of a majority on its own. Party leaders said Shinde was taking no chances and wanted to ensure that all corporators remain together until a formal claim to power is made in the country’s richest civic body.
The development revives memories of earlier bouts of “resort politics” in Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai, where parties have repeatedly housed elected representatives in hotels to guard against defections during moments of political flux. During the 2019 post-election impasse, rival camps of the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP had sequestered their MLAs in luxury hotels across Mumbai amid fears of poaching. A similar strategy was seen during the 2022 Shiv Sena split, when legislators were moved out of the state as competing factions battled for control of the party and government.
The decision drew sharp reactions from the opposition, with Congress MP Naseer Hussain taking a swipe at Shinde. “Who is he afraid of? Who can poach his councillors? Who has the experience of poaching?” Hussain said, alleging that the BJP had grown at the cost of allies and splinter groups. “It has had the highest strike rate in states like Maharashtra and Bihar. The sooner Eknath Shinde realises this, the better it is for him,” he added.
Addressing a press conference, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray apologised for not being able to campaign in all municipal corporations and thanked voters who backed his party. Calling the civic polls “the most hideous elections” conducted by the ruling alliance, Thackeray alleged widespread misuse of power, money and pressure. “Those who fought against it are the real saviours of democracy,” he said.
On the BMC mayoral race, Thackeray said his party wished to have its own mayor in Mumbai but acknowledged the numerical disadvantage. “Even today we wish so, but right now we do not have the numbers on our side,” he said.
The developments come after the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance ended the Thackeray family’s long dominance over the BMC. Under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party, winning 89 of the 227 wards and surpassing its previous high of 82 seats in 2017. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena added 29 seats, taking the Mahayuti alliance’s tally to 118, comfortably above the halfway mark of 114.
However, the results also highlighted Shinde’s struggle to retain the Sena’s traditional base in Mumbai. Despite most corporators of the undivided Shiv Sena backing him after the party split, his faction managed only 29 seats, while Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena won 65, down from 84 in 2017.
Speaking to India Today, Shinde described the verdict as a mandate for “development” and against “corruption,” crediting the BJP-led alliance’s performance over the past three-and-a-half years. Asked whether the new BMC mayor would be from the BJP or the Shiv Sena, he said it would be “someone from the Mahayuti.”
The Congress secured 24 seats contesting alone, AIMIM won eight, while the Uddhav Sena–MNS–NCP (SP) combine managed 72 seats.
