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Eknath Shinde moved the corporators to a luxury hotel in Bandra in the aftermath of the BMC polls, as Uddhav Thackeray created a flutter over his remarks on a Shiv Sena Mayor.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde with his party corporators at Taj Lands End.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was seen with the newly elected 29 corporators of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) at Mumbai’s Taj Lands End on Sunday amid heightened political developments after the Mahayuti’s victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
Party sources said the corporators were taken to the hotel on Saturday after the BMC results, and against the backdrop of apprehensions of poaching, a familiar feature of Maharashtra’s fractured political landscape.
The Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 29 seats in the 227-member civic body, a modest tally but one that proved critical in helping the BJP-led alliance cross the majority mark. With the BJP emerging as the single-largest party, the alliance is now set to take control of the country’s richest municipal corporation.
Why Did Shinde Shift Shiv Sena Corporators?
Sources indicated that the move to house corporators together is intended to ensure unity within the party as discussions begin on key decisions, including coordination with the BJP, the mayoral election and the distribution of responsibilities in the new civic administration.
The three-day stay at the Bandra hotel will also allow senior leaders to brief corporators on alliance strategy and governance priorities. The step gains significance as the BMC verdict has reignited the Sena vs Sena political battle, with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) accusing the Shinde faction of weakening the party’s traditional base and enabling the BJP’s historic entry into the BMC’s top post.
This came particularly after Uddhav Thackeray, whose party secured 65 seats in the BMC elections, asserted that the UBT Sena was not wiped out from Mumbai and said if God is willing, the party could have its mayor in Mumbai. “The BJP could not finish Shiv Sena (UBT) on the ground,” he claimed, alleging that the ruling party “could not buy loyalty.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged as the largest opposition party with 65 seats, while the Congress won 24, AIMIM eight, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena six, the Samajwadi Party two, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) one seat.
Shinde Doesn’t Want BJP Mayor: Raut
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that many corporators of Shiv Sena, who originally belonged to the Bal Thackeray-founded party before its division, and even Shinde, do not want a BJP mayor in Mumbai.
When asked whether there will be ‘ghar wapsi’ (return) of corporators, Raut said, “Many new corporators are originally Shiv Sainiks (of undivided Shiv Sena). Our understanding is that everyone wants a BJP mayor not be elected. Even Shinde does not want a BJP mayor in Mumbai,” Raut claimed.
Shiv Sena leader Sheetal Mhatre dismissed the speculation surrounding the hotel politics, saying that 20 of the 29 corporators have won for the first time and need to understand how the BMC functions. “We don’t need to resort to hotel politics. The elected corporators have defeated Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates,” he said.
(with agency inputs)
January 18, 2026, 22:08 IST
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