Overview
- Uddhav and Raj Thackeray announced a formal alliance for the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election after a joint appearance and a visit to Balasaheb Thackeray’s memorial.
- The leaders said seat-sharing for Mumbai, Nashik and other civic bodies has been finalised, though no ward-wise formula was disclosed and reported estimates remain unconfirmed.
- Raj Thackeray pledged that the Mayor of Mumbai would come from the alliance and be a Marathi person, with both parties framing the tie-up around the ‘Marathi manoos’ agenda.
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde downplayed the reunion as a bid for political survival, citing recent local poll gains and ongoing defections into the Shinde camp.
- Analysts flagged organisational and resource disadvantages for the reunited front, as well as demographic shifts in Mumbai, with counting scheduled for January 16 after statewide municipal voting.