4 Team Uddhav leaders go ‘missing’ ahead of voting| India News
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: BJP workers celebrate the win in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections (BMC).
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: The BJP-led Mahayuti, which swept the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections last week, will appoint a woman mayor from the open category in Mumbai following the completion of the lottery-based reservation process on Thursday. The decision came as a setback for the Shiv Sena (UBT), which had expected the mayor’s post to be reserved for a Scheduled Tribe woman, since both eligible candidates in that category belonged to Uddhav Thackeray’s party.
With the reservation process concluded, focus has now shifted to the probable contenders for the BMC mayor’s post. The leading names include Alka Kerkar, a three-time corporator and former deputy mayor, and Rajashree Shirwadkar, also a three-time corporator.
Opposition’s rigged lottery allegations
The lottery-based reservation process sparked strong opposition criticism, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) alleging that it was manipulated to favour the ruling alliance. As the draw was being conducted, the party claimed the exercise had been fixed to benefit the BJP–Shiv Sena combine.
Former Mumbai mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar, who attended the meeting, alleged that the government had altered reservation norms for the Scheduled Tribe category by increasing the minimum number of seats from two to three across municipal corporations.
“This amounts to an injustice to SCs and STs, as Mumbai was excluded from these reservations, as well as from OBC reservation,” she said.
UBT faction appeals to Shinde-led Sena
Amid the battle for control of civic bodies across Maharashtra, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader on Friday appealed to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to back the Uddhav Thackeray faction’s candidate in the BMC mayoral election, rather than support its ally, the BJP.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav said such support would serve as a tribute to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in his 100th birth anniversary year. “Those who claim to uphold Balasaheb’s ideals and project themselves as his true inheritors should support the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate in the BMC polls. That would be the real tribute to Balasaheb in his birth centenary year,” Jadhav told PTI.
He added that anyone asserting themselves as the true inheritors of Bal Thackeray’s legacy should not side with the BJP.
More on BMC election results
In the January 15 BMC elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats. The Shiv Sena led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde secured 29 seats, helping the Mahayuti alliance cross the halfway mark of 114 seats needed to form the civic administration.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which governed the BMC for 25 years since 1997 when the party was united, won 65 seats. Its allies—the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)—bagged six seats and one seat respectively.
Given the narrow margins, Shinde-led Sena moved its winning corporators to a hotel in Bandra to prevent any poaching attempts.
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With the reservation process concluded, focus has now shifted to the probable contenders for the BMC mayor’s post. The leading names include Alka Kerkar, a three-time corporator and former deputy mayor, and Rajashree Shirwadkar, also a three-time corporator.
Opposition’s rigged lottery allegations
The lottery-based reservation process sparked strong opposition criticism, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) alleging that it was manipulated to favour the ruling alliance. As the draw was being conducted, the party claimed the exercise had been fixed to benefit the BJP–Shiv Sena combine.
Former Mumbai mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar, who attended the meeting, alleged that the government had altered reservation norms for the Scheduled Tribe category by increasing the minimum number of seats from two to three across municipal corporations.
“This amounts to an injustice to SCs and STs, as Mumbai was excluded from these reservations, as well as from OBC reservation,” she said.
UBT faction appeals to Shinde-led Sena
Amid the battle for control of civic bodies across Maharashtra, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader on Friday appealed to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to back the Uddhav Thackeray faction’s candidate in the BMC mayoral election, rather than support its ally, the BJP.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav said such support would serve as a tribute to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in his 100th birth anniversary year. “Those who claim to uphold Balasaheb’s ideals and project themselves as his true inheritors should support the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate in the BMC polls. That would be the real tribute to Balasaheb in his birth centenary year,” Jadhav told PTI.
He added that anyone asserting themselves as the true inheritors of Bal Thackeray’s legacy should not side with the BJP.
More on BMC election results
In the January 15 BMC elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats. The Shiv Sena led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde secured 29 seats, helping the Mahayuti alliance cross the halfway mark of 114 seats needed to form the civic administration.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which governed the BMC for 25 years since 1997 when the party was united, won 65 seats. Its allies—the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)—bagged six seats and one seat respectively.
Given the narrow margins, Shinde-led Sena moved its winning corporators to a hotel in Bandra to prevent any poaching attempts.
Follow all the updates here:
Jan 25, 2026 10:58:46 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Which corporations will have women mayors?
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar and Bhiwandi-Nizampur will have mayors from the general category, with the first three reserved for women.
Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Ahilyanagar will have women mayors from the OBC category.
Jan 25, 2026 9:59:19 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: 4 Uddhav Sena corporators from Kalyan go ‘missing’ amid defection concerns
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: The Shiv Sena (UBT) lodged a police complaint over four of its corporators who are allegedly untraceable.
The corporators who are not contactable are Madhur Mhatre, Kirti Dhone, Rahul Kot and Swapnil Kene.
This comes amid claims that they may switch allegiance to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “We filed a complaint with the police as our corporators are missing. We will put up posters in the KDMC. They were elected on our symbol. They are traitors and chose a different path 24 hours after their victory.”
Jan 25, 2026 9:34:07 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Sena (UBT) urges Shinde camp to back Thackeray candidate in BMC mayor poll
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Amid the post-poll power tussle in Maharashtra’s civic bodies, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav urged the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to support his party’s candidate for the BMC mayor’s post instead of ally BJP.
He said such a move would be a “true tribute” to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in his 100th birth centenary year.
Jan 25, 2026 9:33:30 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: When will Mumbai mayor be announced?
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: The Mumbai mayor is likely to be announced on January 28 or 29, according to people familiar with the process.
Amid the political churn following the civic election results, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday accused the ruling dispensation in Maharashtra of encouraging defections, calling the current political climate a “market of slaves” driven by money power. He alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was behaving like a feudal lord who believes loyalty can be auctioned.
Raut also claimed that Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar would eventually be forced to leave the present state government. “One cannot keep a foot in two boats,” he said.
