Piyush M Padwale
As the vote count for the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) commences, the results are predicted to showcase whether the newfound identity has strongly connected with the city’s voter base.
A seat-sharing deal between the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is being tested for the first time in a major civic election.
Thane is witnessing an alliance between Udhav Thackarey’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackarey’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The goal of this partnership is to increase Marathi votes, which are typically split.
While Shinde’s team focuses on traditional pockets of Wagle Estate and Kopri-Panchpakhadi, the BJP targets dense residential clusters. The results will reveal whether the alliance strategy has worked or not.
Currently, the ruling alliance has gained an upper hand, as three candidates from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won unopposed. While opposition parties continue to accuse authorities of creating uneven ground, the ruling side has dismissed these allegations.
Consequently, these unopposed victories have already given the Mahayuti a psychological advantage ahead of the event.
Reports also suggest that supporters of the two candidates, former mayor Meenakshi Shinde, an official Shiv Sena candidate, and independent nominee Bhushan Bhoir, got into a fight in Ward 3 in the Mandapa area during the Thane civic polls on Thursday, resulting in the police stepping in.