Cryptic 'Marathi Manoos' Posters Surface In Mumbai As Civic Polls Announced

On the day the state election commission in Maharashtra announced long-pending municipal corporation elections, after a delay of more than three years, cryptic posters surfaced across parts of Mumbai, carrying messages appealing to the city's Marathi-speaking population.

The posters, spotted in areas such as Girgaon and Dadar, carried emotionally charged slogans invoking identity and urging political mobilisation.

 "Marathi people, wake up, the night is stormy. This is a fight for your very existence," read one of the posters put up in Girgaon. Another poster in Dadar stated, "Wake up Marathi people, Save Mumbai."

While the posters did not bear any political party names or symbols, the messaging was widely interpreted as a political appeal ahead of the civic polls. Sources indicated that the campaign was initiated by workers affiliated with the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction of the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), foregrounding their long-standing 'Marathi-first' agenda ahead of the elections.

Mumbai will go to the polls on January 15, with results to be announced the following day. The elections will also result in the city getting an elected mayor for the first time in over three years, following prolonged administrative control.

Defending the posters, MNS leader Yashwant Killedar said there was nothing inappropriate about the messaging.

"Voters elect their representatives through democracy. If the same voter unites before the election and sends this message, what's wrong with that?" he said.

Alliance Math

While the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are yet to officially announce an alliance, political circles believe the two parties are likely to fight the upcoming civic elections together across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Reacting to the political developments, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the ruling alliance remained confident of its prospects.

"The BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) will have an alliance in most places. The BJP-NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) alliance will also happen in some places. Even though we have pointed out discrepancies in the voter list, it will be resolved once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is carried out in Maharashtra. That, however, cannot be a reason to delay the elections," he said.

Fadnavis added that his party would not be affected by opposition alignments. "Even if the  Congress goes with them (Shiv Sena-MNS), Mumbaikars will make us win because of development and the focus on Marathi welfare that we have prioritised for a long time."

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said the party's strategy for the civic polls would be decided at the grassroots level.

"The decision on whether to fight together as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi or as an independent force will be taken by local Congress leaders," he said.

The Mumbai Congress has already launched its independent campaign for the Mumbai elections, attacking both the Shiv Sena-MNS and the BJP-led front for their identity based narratives.