Overview
- Uddhav and Raj Thackeray released a joint 'Vachan Nama' promising a Rs 1,500 monthly Swabhiman Nidhi for domestic helps and Koli women, a Rs 5 minimum bus fare, property tax waivers on homes up to 700 sq ft, and expanded affordable housing.
- Uddhav urged the State Election Commission to cancel and rerun polls in wards with uncontested outcomes, alleged 'candidate theft,' and sought action against Speaker Rahul Narwekar for purported interference, which Narwekar denied.
- Reports say 68 candidates, including many from the BJP-led Mahayuti, were declared elected unopposed; the MNS has asked the SEC to withhold such declarations and investigate, and the SEC has sought reports on nomination complaints in Colaba.
- The BJP defended the unopposed results, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying any court move would not overturn the people’s mandate, and the party issued an 'Aarop Patra' alleging large-scale BMC corruption under prior control.
- Campaign plans have pivoted from large rallies to visits at party shakhas; polling for 29 municipal corporations, including 227 single-member seats in Mumbai, is set for January 15 with counting on January 16.