Overview

• Uddhav Thackeray signaled openness to a Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance with Raj Thackeray’s MNS and urged district leaders to explore local coalitions while preparing to contest independently if needed.
• Eknath Shinde accused Uddhav of abandoning Hindutva and called his faction “politically dead,” reaffirming his group’s loyalty to Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology.
• Uddhav charged that the BJP held clandestine meetings, including one between Raj Thackeray and CM Devendra Fadnavis, to block a broader Marathi alliance.
• Following a Supreme Court directive, the state government has begun ward demarcation and reservation, signaling that municipal polls may be announced soon after the monsoon.
• NCP chief Sharad Pawar said Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Kisan Kamgar Paksha will hold talks on a joint contest of local body elections, but no final decision has been reached.