Shinde Says Elective Merit Crucial in BMC Polls, Prioritizes Mahayuti Victory

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde declared on Sunday that "elective merit" will be the primary criterion for allocating seats among Mahayuti allies in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, underscoring a commitment to performance over partisan quotas.

Addressing branch heads, or shakha pramukhs, at a key meeting, Shinde stressed that collective victory for the ruling coalition—comprising Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar—outweighs individual seat shares. The BMC polls, delayed since 2017 due to legal hurdles and the COVID-19 pandemic, are slated for late January 2026, marking the first major electoral test for Mahayuti in India's richest civic body, which oversees a budget exceeding ₹50,000 crore and services for 12 million residents.

Shinde assured Shiv Sena workers that their party would receive "due respect" in the seat-sharing pact but reiterated that merit—assessed through grassroots feedback and electoral viability—will guide decisions. "It is not important who gets how many seats. What is important is the elective merit, which will be the key in deciding the seats," he stated, urging cadres to engage locals on civic issues like water supply, waste management, and infrastructure.

The Shiv Sena is conducting Lok Sabha constituency-wise meetings to strategise, leveraging its traditional stronghold in Mumbai's working-class neighbourhoods. Shinde, who spearheaded a 2022 rebellion splitting the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and aligning with BJP, positioned the new office as a launchpad to "unfurl the saffron flag" over BMC headquarters.

The BMC, Asia's wealthiest municipal corporation, has long been a Shiv Sena bastion, controlling over 227 of 236 seats in 2017 under Uddhav Thackeray's undivided party. Post-split, Shinde's faction claims the official Shiv Sena name and symbol, while Thackeray's group, now Shiv Sena (UBT), operates as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) with NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Congress.

Mahayuti's governance since 2022, under CM Devendra Fadnavis, has focused on projects like the coastal road and Aarey metro car shed, which Shinde directed workers to highlight. "The people of Mumbai prefer those who work," he said, contrasting Mahayuti's record with MVA's alleged inaction.

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Shinde took swipes at the opposition, accusing them of deflecting defeats by blaming Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the judiciary, and the Election Commission—echoing post-2024 Lok Sabha critiques from MVA leaders. With urban voters increasingly swayed by development over ideology, the polls could reshape Mumbai's political landscape, influencing state dynamics ahead of the 2029 assembly elections.

Shinde's merit-based pitch aims to unify allies while energising the base, but internal rivalries, especially between BJP and Shiv Sena over winnable wards, may test the coalition's cohesion.

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