Mahayuti's Seat-Sharing Talks On Mumbai Civic Polls See Progress, Roadblocks

With polls to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) nearing, political manoeuvring in the city has entered a critical phase, marked by both progress and fresh contention within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.  

The Mahayuti, led by the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has been engaged in intensive seat-sharing negotiations, aiming for a joint contest across a majority of the 227 seats in Asia's richest civic body. BJP strategists have targeted winning 150 or more seats collectively, a tally that would give the alliance a comfortable majority in the civic body. However, finalising the ward-wise formula remains a work in progress. According to insiders, the emerging Mahayuti formula for the BMC polls could see the BJP contesting 130-140 seats by banking on its organisational strength, while the Shinde-led Sena will field 70-80 candidates focused on its loyal strongholds.

Sticking Points

Multiple rounds of meetings between the BJP and Shinde Sena leaders have yielded conditional agreements on roughly 140-150 seats, but talks over more than 70 seats remain unresolved as of Thursday afternoon. Sources indicate that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde are expected to personally intervene to break the impasse in the coming days.  

A Sena leader said, "Both sides have broadly agreed on many seats, but differences persist over the exact distribution of winnable wards." As per sources, Shinde Sena has pressed for a larger share reflecting its strong corporator presence in Mumbai, while the BJP has pushed to retain key urban strongholds.  

A BJP-Shinde Sena meeting earlier this week ended without final agreement, prompting a second round of negotiations on seat-sharing formulas. A BJP leader said, "Ideological and tactical considerations combined with local leadership assertiveness have made compromise difficult. But it will get resolved soon."

Opposition Reconfigures 

Meanwhile, the opposition landscape is also shifting. Sources suggest that Uddhav and Raj Thackeray's factions are in advanced discussions to finalise their own seat-sharing arrangement for the BMC polls, even as Congress plans to contest independently due differences over an alliance with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). NCP (Sharad Pawar) has taken a neutral stand over the inclusion of MNS in Maha Vikas Aghadi with an aim for a collective fight to defeat BJP.

Complicating the picture further, the NCP under Ajit Pawar, an ally in Mahayuti, is keeping options open. Senior leaders have indicated readiness to contest alone, although negotiations with Mahayuti partners have not advanced due to internal differences, particularly over leadership roles.  

In several wards, such as traditionally Congress-leaning Mumbadevi, leaders on all sides are recalibrating their calculations as local demographics and reservation changes come into play.  

Political Stakes And The Road Ahead

Political analysts note that the BMC election is not merely a civic exercise but a barometer of statewide political strength. Control of the BMC yields access to massive development funds, administrative influence, and grassroots organisation momentum ahead of future polls.  

With just under a month to go, Mahayuti leaders are under pressure to finalise their seat-sharing pact to allow adequate time for candidate selection, nomination filing (23-30 December), and campaign rollout.