After BMC Drubbing, Uddhav Sena's Balasaheb Post, Raj Thackeray's Open Letter

The Thackeray cousins have vowed to continue their Marathi identity politics after losing control of the country's richest civic body after 25 years. "This fight isn't over yet," read a post by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), sharing a photo of the late Balasaheb Thackeray, who had championed the Marathi cause in state politics.

The BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena have emerged victorious in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, snatching control from the Thackerays, who had united last year to defeat the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

Pursuing the Marathi cause, the cousins promised a better life to Mumbai's residents, but yesterday's results dealt a setback to what was expected to be a new chapter in Thackeray politics.

However, Uddhav Thackeray's party, which won 65 out of 227 wards, assured, "The fight will continue just like this until the Marathis receive the respect they deserve."

Raj Thackeray, who mirrors his uncle - the firebrand Bal Thackeray - said that the defeat doesn't mean he would lose heart and give up. "If anything is seen happening against the Marathi people, our corporators will surely bring those in power to their knees," he thundered.

Though his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) could win just six seats in the BMC elections, he vowed to keep fighting for his state and Marathis. "Our fight is for the Marathi people, for the Marathi language, for Marathi identity, and for a prosperous Maharashtra. This fight itself is our very existence. You are well aware that such struggles are long-term in nature," he said.

Raj Thackeray also accused the Mahayuti of harassing and exploiting Marathis, underlining the significance of his struggle.

"Whether in the MMR region or across the entire state, the ruling powers and those who have gone under their shelter will not leave a single opportunity to harass and exploit the Marathi people. Therefore, we must stand firmly behind our Marathi people. Elections will come and go, but we must never forget that our very breath is Marathi," he said.

The MNS will analyse and act on whatever went wrong and was left undone, he added, vowing to rebuild the party from scratch.

BMC Elections 2026

The BJP-led alliance swept the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, with the Thackerays losing grip on Mumbai's civic body after 25 years. The Mahayuti came to power in 25 out of 29 civic bodies across Maharashtra. In the BMC, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won in a total of 118 wards, surpassing the majority mark of 114. While the BJP won in 89 wards, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena bagged victory in 29 wards.

In the BMC, whose annual budget exceeds Rs 74,400 crore, there were 1,700 candidates for 227 seats in the elections that were held after nine years and a four-year delay. In the last elections held in 2017, the united Shiv Sena (which also included Eknath Shinde) had retained its grip on the BMC that it had been controlling for decades.