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The move also exposes the much-publicised coming together of Raj & Uddhav Thackeray, which has quickly been reduced to a convenience-based arrangement
Raj Thackeray (left)’s decision to back Eknath Shinde (right)-led Shiv Sena in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation is a blunt assertion that municipal politics is about control, not sentiment. (PTI)
Political equations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region are being reshaped by cold arithmetic rather than public posturing, and the latest developments in Kalyan underline this shift clearly.
Raj Thackeray’s decision to back Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) is not just a tactical adjustment but a blunt assertion that municipal politics is about control, not sentiment. The move carries added weight because Shinde remains the principal political adversary of Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray’s cousin and alliance partner at the state level. In Kalyan, however, the logic of alliances has given way to the logic of numbers.
By extending the support of five Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporators, Raj Thackeray has materially strengthened Shinde’s claim over the civic body, where the margin between dominance and deadlock is thin. For the MNS, the decision appears rooted in pragmatism. Despite periodic electoral visibility, the party has struggled to secure sustained control over key urban institutions. Aligning with the side that is best placed to form the civic administration offers immediate relevance and influence in one of the most politically significant corporations within the MMR. The message is unmistakable: access to power in a crucial urban centre outweighs the symbolic value of maintaining opposition unity.
For Shinde, the Kalyan manoeuvre is consistent with a broader strategy of aggressive municipal consolidation. Equally striking is his willingness to pursue control without his alliance partner, the BJP. Though the Sena and BJP contested the civic elections together, post-election negotiations have exposed deep friction. In neighbouring Ulhasnagar, Shinde has already managed to edge out the BJP, establishing a pattern of asserting dominance in civic bodies even at the cost of alliance harmony. Kalyan now appears to be the next step in that strategy.
This assertiveness is likely to sharpen tensions within the ruling coalition that has governed Maharashtra since 2024. Municipal corporations are not mere administrative units; they are centres of patronage, organisational control and political signalling. Control over KDMC strengthens Shinde’s grip over the Thane-Kalyan belt, a region critical to his political identity and future ambitions. By sidelining allies at the civic level, he is laying the groundwork for a more autonomous political footprint in MMR.
The episode also exposes the limits of opposition unity. The much-publicised coming together of Raj and Uddhav Thackeray carried emotional resonance, but civic politics has quickly reduced it to a convenience-based arrangement. As power equations settle, the Kalyan developments serve as a reminder that in Maharashtra’s urban battlegrounds, alliances are flexible, loyalty is negotiable, and control of the municipality remains the ultimate currency of politics.
January 22, 2026, 11:27 IST
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