BJP Targets Thackeray Cousins’ BMC Alliance

Mumbai, Dec 2025 : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the proposed alliance between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, claiming that the tie-up would not mark the beginning of a historic chapter but instead signal a “historic defeat” for both leaders.

Senior BJP leaders asserted that Raj Thackeray should not overlook the political history that led to the split between the two parties. They recalled that the ideological divide widened when Uddhav Thackeray chose to align with the Congress and Sharad Pawar, a move that, according to the BJP, weakened the original Shiv Sena’s core principles. By joining hands with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Raj Thackeray would face a similar fate of electoral decline, BJP leaders claimed.

Maharashtra Information Technology Minister and BJP’s in-charge for the BMC elections, Ashish Shelar, criticised the alliance in a poetic post on X. He alleged that the coming together of the Thackeray cousins was driven by the intent to control and “loot” the BMC treasury rather than serve Mumbai’s citizens. Addressing the leaders indirectly, Shelar said Mumbaikars would question them in every corner of the city about their past differences and the sudden warmth now being displayed. He asked why they stood so far apart earlier and what had changed to make them embrace each other today.

State BJP media in-charge Navnath Ban echoed similar sentiments, alleging that both Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had united solely for power. According to Ban, the alliance lacked a concrete development agenda for Mumbai and was guided only by electoral arithmetic. He described the partnership not as a show of strength, but as an open admission of political weakness and desperation by both parties.

Ban also criticised Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure as Chief Minister, alleging that several infrastructure projects beneficial to Mumbaikars were stalled during his time in office. He specifically mentioned the Mumbai Metro and the Coastal Road projects, claiming that their delays caused inconvenience to the public. Ban further alleged that decisions taken during that period contributed to rising housing costs in areas such as the BDD chawls, and said Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray should take responsibility for this.

Mocking the submission of election pledges by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and party MP Sanjay Raut, Ban remarked that politics marked by intimidation, extortion and fear had become the defining identity of both Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS. He claimed that such politics had no place in Mumbai’s future.

Invoking the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, Ban said Balasaheb was a powerful political brand who stood firmly by the ideology of Hindutva. He alleged that Uddhav Thackeray abandoned those principles and compromised the party’s original identity. Ban further targeted Uddhav Thackeray over his political associations, questioning whether he had considered the emotional impact on Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy while making alliances for power.

The BJP maintained that Mumbaikars would reject what it called opportunistic politics and support a development-focused agenda in the BMC elections.

Team Maverick.