The race for Mumbai\u2019s Mayor\u2019s post is far from settled, despite initial numbers favoring the Mahayuti alliance. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections<\/strong> have thrown up a tense battle between Uddhav Thackeray\u2019s Shiv Sena (UBT)<\/strong> and the BJP-Shinde Sena alliance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the BJP and its ally Eknath Shinde-led Sena have crossed the majority mark on paper, Uddhav Thackeray\u2019s team is refusing to concede. Sanjay Raut<\/strong>, a key strategist for UBT, insists that the numbers are close enough to make the outcome unpredictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a breakdown of the 227 wards in the BMC:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mahayuti alliance has 118 corporators<\/strong>, crossing the majority mark of 114. UBT claims it can gather support from allies like MNS, Congress, and smaller parties<\/strong>, totaling 108 seats \u2014 just six short of a majority<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanjay Raut told NDTV, \u201cWe are currently at 108 with UBT, MNS, Congress, and allies. The target is 114. We are marginally short by just six seats. Just wait and watch, anything can happen in Mumbai politics.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raut also pointed to alleged fears within the Shinde camp. Reports suggested that Shinde Sena corporators were moved to luxury hotels in Bandra and Kalyan-Dombivli<\/strong> to prevent poaching by rival factions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said, \u201cOur corporators are not hiding; they are at home, living normal lives. Shinde is keeping his people locked in hotels because he fears they might switch sides.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raut accused Shinde of struggling to maintain loyalty among his newly elected representatives. \u201cYou can lock people in a hotel, but you cannot lock their minds. Many do not want to see a BJP Mayor in Mumbai, and they are free to make their choice.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Shinde faction dismissed these claims, saying the corporators were placed in five-star hotels as part of a training workshop<\/strong>. Sources said the move was meant to familiarize new corporators with the party\u2019s strategies and expectations<\/strong>, not to prevent defections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The outcome of the Mayor race may hinge on alliances with smaller parties<\/strong>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n UBT hopes these parties, along with Congress and VBA, will help cross the 114-seat majority mark. The next few weeks could see intense negotiations and political maneuvering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The BMC is India\u2019s richest municipal body<\/strong>, with an annual budget exceeding Rs 74,000 crore<\/strong>. The Mayor\u2019s post is crucial because it oversees city infrastructure, urban development, and municipal services for millions of residents in Mumbai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winning the Mayor\u2019s chair also gives political leverage<\/strong> ahead of future state and national elections. That\u2019s why both sides are leaving nothing to chance, from alliances to managing corporator loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With only six seats separating UBT and the majority mark<\/strong>, the next phase of the Mayor election is expected to be full of surprises:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Political observers believe that despite the Mahayuti alliance\u2019s apparent lead, Mumbai politics has a history of sudden shifts<\/strong>, and the Mayor race could still swing unexpectedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UBT\u2019s \u201cwait and watch\u201d strategy signals that the fight for the Mumbai Mayor\u2019s post is far from over, and the city may witness high-stakes political maneuvering in the coming days<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mumbai Mayor Race: A Nail-Biter Ahead The race for Mumbai\u2019s Mayor\u2019s post is far from settled, despite initial numbers favoring the Mahayuti alliance. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections have thrown up a tense battle between Uddhav Thackeray\u2019s Shiv Sena (UBT) and the BJP-Shinde Sena alliance. While the BJP and its ally Eknath Shinde-led Sena […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[2380,2382,966,2381,1266,1262,2378,176,2379,150],"class_list":["post-4487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-bjp-shinde-sena","tag-bmc-election-results","tag-brihanmumbai-municipal-corporation","tag-congress-mumbai","tag-maharashtra-municipal-elections","tag-mns","tag-mumbai-mayor-election-2026","tag-mumbai-politics","tag-sanjay-raut","tag-shiv-sena-ubt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4487"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4489,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4487\/revisions\/4489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\nThe Numbers So Far<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nUddhav\u2019s Camp: \u2018Wait and Watch\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nShinde Camp Responds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Role of Smaller Parties<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nWhy This Mayor Race Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Road Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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