Overview
- Nishikant Govind Shinde won G/South Ward 194 (Prabhadevi–Lower Parel) with 15,235 votes, defeating Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena candidate Samadhan Sada Sarvankar, who polled 14,191, for a margin of 582.
- Sarvankar, a former corporator who took the seat in 2017 with 8,623 votes when the Sena was undivided, saw a long-held bastion flip in a closely watched contest.
- The Week reported early citywide trends with the Mahayuti combine of the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Sena holding a narrow lead of 80 seats to the Thackeray camp’s 64.
- An ABP Majha account cited by The Week linked Nishikant Shinde’s candidacy to seat adjustments involving his brother Sunil Shinde’s move from Worli and Ward 192 being allotted to the MNS.
- A December 2025 Marathi Manus survey reported by The Week found 61% of respondents viewed Sena UBT as the ‘real Shiv Sena’ versus 22% for the Shinde faction, a perception both sides sought to test as BJP leaders criticized the Thackeray–MNS tie-up.