Mumbai BMC Verdict: Thin Majority Keeps Sena On Edge; Power-Sharing Talks Underway

Mumbai’s civic politics may have delivered the BJP its biggest-ever tally in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), but the victory has come with a familiar caveat: numbers without certainty. With power-sharing talks between the BJP and its ally, the Eknath Shinde–led Shiv Sena, expected to stretch on, the Sena has chosen caution over complacency—rounding up all 29 of its newly elected corporators and placing them in the controlled comfort of a five-star hotel in Bandra.

Officially, the party insists this is merely a three-day “workshop”. Unofficially, the move reflects the nervous arithmetic of a fractured mandate.

The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats in the 227-member civic body, still short of the 114 required for a clear majority. The Shinde Sena’s 29 seats take the ruling Mahayuti alliance to 118—just four above the halfway mark. In a House this finely balanced, even a handful of defections could upend the equation.

Despite public displays of unity, unease continues to ripple through Mumbai’s political circles. Allegations of potential poaching hover in the background, even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis publicly dismisses such speculation. Speaking in Pune, Fadnavis likened Shinde’s meeting with corporators to his own routine interactions with BJP representatives and insisted a “consensus Mahayuti mayor” would be elected. “There is no question of differences,” he said. “Mumbai will be run smoothly.”

Still, the optics tell their own story.

On the opposition benches, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has refused to concede the narrative entirely. Though his party has lost control of the BMC, he struck a defiant note, declaring it remained his “dream” to see a Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai—and hinting cryptically that such an outcome was not impossible.

Others were more direct. Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu and former Congress leader Sanjay Jha both argued that the BJP’s rise was enabled by the Shiv Sena split. The numbers support their claim: Uddhav Thackeray’s faction won 65 seats, Shinde’s 29. Together, a united Sena would have commanded 94 seats—outpacing the BJP. With Congress support, the mayoralty could have been within reach.

For the BJP, the results fell short of ambition. The party had initially planned to contest over 155 seats and hoped to cross the 120 mark. Following negotiations with Shinde, backed by the party’s central leadership, the BJP settled for contesting 137 seats, revising its target to 110. It eventually stopped at 89.

Internal assessments have been unsparing. Party leaders privately cite weak coordination within the Mumbai unit, questionable candidate choices, and an inability to counter the “Marathi asmita” pitch deployed by Raj and Uddhav Thackeray. Even the induction of sitting corporators from rival parties failed to translate into electoral gains.

As Fadnavis prepares to leave for Davos for the World Economic Forum, a final call on the BMC power-sharing arrangement is likely to wait until his return next week. Until then, Shinde is using the Bandra retreat to consolidate his ranks. Deputy CM Shinde felicitated his newly elected corporators on Saturday and is expected to personally brief them on civic procedures, development priorities, and a five-year governance roadmap. Discussions will also extend to preparations for the upcoming zilla parishad elections.

Sena leaders are clear about their expectations. “The BJP doesn’t have the numbers to appoint a mayor on its own,” said one functionary. “If this alliance is to be respectful, the mayor’s post must be shared—and the first term should be ours.”

In Mumbai politics, the mandate may be delivered at the ballot box—but power, as ever, is settled in the negotiations that follow.