Eknath Shinde’s Sena moves Mumbai corporators to hotel amid BJP’s BMC victory: What’s behind the move?

Unease continues to simmer in Mumbai’s political circles despite the BJP emerging as the single-largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, as rival camps quietly activate last-minute strategies to secure control of the civic body.

Although the BJP topped the polls, it fell short of the majority mark, raising fears of poaching and political manoeuvring. Acting swiftly, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde moved to secure his numbers, with the Shiv Sena shifting its newly elected corporators to a hotel in Bandra, according to an earlier report.

In the 227-member BMC, the majority mark stands at 114. The BJP won 89 seats, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured 29, taking the ruling alliance’s tally to 118 — just four seats above the halfway mark. With such a slim margin, even minor shifts could complicate control of the civic house.

Political buzz suggests the BJP had set an ambitious target of at least 110 seats to edge closer to a majority but fell well short of that goal.

On the opposition side, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray struck a defiant note despite losing control of the BMC. He said it remained his “dream” to have a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai and hinted that the possibility still existed, without spelling out how.

Sena (UBT) leaders have argued that the BJP’s success was largely due to the split in the Shiv Sena. Party leader Sunil Prabhu said a united Sena would have prevented the BJP from emerging on top, a view echoed by former Congress leader Sanjay Jha, who said the BJP “had no chance” had the party remained united.

The numbers support that claim. While the BJP won 89 seats, Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena secured 65 and Shinde’s faction 29. Together, the two Sena factions would have had 94 seats, more than the BJP’s tally. An alliance with the Congress could have pushed them past the majority mark.

Within the BJP, there is reportedly disappointment over the outcome. The party had initially planned to contest more than 155 seats and aimed to win 120–125. Following seat-sharing negotiations, Shinde is said to have secured 91 seats for his party, leaving the BJP to contest 137. The BJP later revised its target to 110 seats but managed only 89.

Party leaders have privately cited poor coordination within the Mumbai unit, flawed candidate selection, and the failure to effectively counter the “Marathi asmita” and “Mumbai pride” narrative pushed by Raj and Uddhav Thackeray as key reasons for the underwhelming result.