BMC Mayor Post Tussle: Even as the speculations over the tussle in Mahayuti for the post of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) mayor continue, the 29 newly elected corporators of the Shiv Sena led
by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde checked out of the Bandra hotel on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Shinde met the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership in Delhi on Tuesday, the Indian Express reported.
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Why were the corporators in a hotel?
The corporators were put up at the Taj Lands End since January 17, soon after the BMC results were announced. With the Gazette notification issued, the corporators are now formally recognised as councillors, allowing the Shiv Sena to move ahead with the registration of its municipal party group and appoint the group leader of the municipal corporation group, reported the Times Of India.
As the BJP leaders expressed displeasure, the Shiv Sena maintained that the newly elected members were shifted to the hotelfor an orientation workshop about the functioning of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
📍 #मुंबई |
मुंबईतील ताज लँड्स एंड हॉटेलमध्ये आज #शिवसेना पक्षाच्या मुंबईतील २९ नवनिर्वाचित नगरसेवकांसमवेत संवाद साधून त्यांचे अभिनंदन केले. तसेच या सर्वांना पुष्पगुच्छ देऊन सन्मानित केले.
याप्रसंगी उद्योगमंत्री उदय सामंत, शिवसेना सरचटणीस राहुल शेवाळे, शिवसेना सचिव संजय मोरे,… pic.twitter.com/I6WNE6KSSD
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) January 18, 2026
Why the negotiation?
In the 227-seat BMC, the BJP has won 89 seats, Shinde Sena 29, Sena UBT 65, Congress 24, AIMIM 8, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) 6, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 3, SP 2 and NCP SP 1.
While the BJP has majority, it can’t reach the halfway mark of 114 without the support of Shinde Sena, opening the door for negotiation.
Eknath Shinde in Delhi
Shinde and his representative, MP Rahul Shewale, and BJP’s state and Mumbai leadership have reached Delhi.
There are reports of discussions between Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam and Shinde group leader Rahul Shewale in Delhi.
He is learnt to have briefed them on the situation in Mumbai following the BMC results, including discussions on the mayor’s post and power-sharing arrangements in other municipal corporations where the two parties contested together.
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What are Eknath Shinde’s demands?
It is being reported that Shinde is keen to secure the BMC mayor’s post for the Shiv Sena — at least for the first two-and-a-half years — since it is the birth centenary year of party founder late Bal Thackeray.
“Balasaheb Thackeray’s birth centenary year starts from January 23. Some Shivsainiks (party activists) have the feeling that a Shiv Senamayor should be installed in the BMC,” he said.
He stressed that the Shiv Sena would not take any decision that goes against the people’s mandate, emphasising that the Shiv Sena and BJP had fought the Mumbai civic elections as an alliance.
