Ahead of Maharashtra civic polls, Raj Thackeray targets Adani Group’s expansion

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday targeted the Adani Group ahead of high-stakes civic body elections in Maharashtra, drawing attention to the conglomerate’s rapid expansion in the state and across the country.

“Between 2014 and 2025, in a span of just eleven years, the Adani Group, with the government’s blessings, has expanded across the country at an unprecedented pace, steadily building dominance across multiple sectors,” Thackeray said in a post on social media platform X.

He also shared a video that he claimed showed the group’s “rapid rise,” referring to the Adani Group as a “monopoly.”

Thackeray’s remarks came after cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray accused the BJP of “looting” Mumbai and alleged that the party was attempting to link the city more closely with Gujarat, PTI reported. They claimed that key assets of Mumbai and Maharashtra were being handed over to the Gautam Adani-led conglomerate.

The MNS chief also raised concerns over the proposed Vadhavan port, noting that it is close to Gujarat, and claimed that gaining control over Palghar, Thane and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region was part of a broader plan to dominate Mumbai. “They cannot sell land to Adani if the BMC is with us,” Raj Thackeray said. Calling the upcoming civic polls crucial, he warned, “This is the last election for the Marathi manoos. If he makes a mistake now, the battle for Mumbai will be lost forever,” urging voters to support the Thackeray cousins.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has hit back at the allegations, stating that non-BJP-ruled states have also attracted investments from Adani Group companies, according to PTI.

Meanwhile, the BJP’s Mumbai unit on Monday shared pictures of Raj Thackeray with Gautam Adani. Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam posted an old photograph of Adani visiting Thackeray’s residence, calling the MNS leader “pretentious” and describing the criticism as the “height of double standards.”