MNS won't ally with BJP in Mumbai mayoral poll: Raj Thackeray tells party workers
Raj Thackeray's message came during a meeting with party functionaries on Monday, held to review the outcome of the January 15 civic body elections in Mumbai and neighbouring urban pockets.
- Feb 2, 2026,
- Updated Feb 2, 2026 9:16 PM IST
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray has told MNS leaders that the party will not align with the BJP for the Mumbai mayoral poll, even as the final Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) numbers leave the BJP-led combine well placed to secure the top post, according to news agency PTI.
Thackeray's message came during a meeting with party functionaries on Monday, held to review the outcome of the January 15 civic body elections in Mumbai and neighbouring urban pockets.
At the closed-door review, MNS workers flagged what they described as "non-cooperation" from the party's ally Shiv Sena (UBT) in certain wards, a MNS leader told PTI. The discussion also saw discontent within the MNS over the seat-sharing arrangement in Mumbai's 227-member civic body, with functionaries complaining that the party was handed "unwinnable" wards in the alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT).
According to the report, Raj Thackeray asked the cadre to stop dwelling on what had already happened and instead focus on strengthening the organisation ahead. He drew a clear line on post-poll alignments in the BMC. "Raj saheb has said there will be no truck with the BJP in the mayoral poll of the BMC," the leader was quoted as saying.
In the elections, the MNS contested 53 seats but managed to win only six. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the civic body with 89 seats — the first time it has topped the BMC tally. Its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, won 29 seats, while the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) secured 65.
With a combined total of 118 seats, the BJP-Shiv Sena combine has crossed the halfway mark of 114 in the new House and is in a position to get its candidate elected as Mumbai mayor. The date for the mayoral election is yet to be announced.
The Congress, which fought the civic polls in alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), won 24 seats. AIMIM won eight seats, while the NCP won three. The Samajwadi Party got two seats, and the NCP-SP won one seat.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray has told MNS leaders that the party will not align with the BJP for the Mumbai mayoral poll, even as the final Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) numbers leave the BJP-led combine well placed to secure the top post, according to news agency PTI.
Thackeray's message came during a meeting with party functionaries on Monday, held to review the outcome of the January 15 civic body elections in Mumbai and neighbouring urban pockets.
At the closed-door review, MNS workers flagged what they described as "non-cooperation" from the party's ally Shiv Sena (UBT) in certain wards, a MNS leader told PTI. The discussion also saw discontent within the MNS over the seat-sharing arrangement in Mumbai's 227-member civic body, with functionaries complaining that the party was handed "unwinnable" wards in the alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT).
According to the report, Raj Thackeray asked the cadre to stop dwelling on what had already happened and instead focus on strengthening the organisation ahead. He drew a clear line on post-poll alignments in the BMC. "Raj saheb has said there will be no truck with the BJP in the mayoral poll of the BMC," the leader was quoted as saying.
In the elections, the MNS contested 53 seats but managed to win only six. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the civic body with 89 seats — the first time it has topped the BMC tally. Its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, won 29 seats, while the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) secured 65.
With a combined total of 118 seats, the BJP-Shiv Sena combine has crossed the halfway mark of 114 in the new House and is in a position to get its candidate elected as Mumbai mayor. The date for the mayoral election is yet to be announced.
The Congress, which fought the civic polls in alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), won 24 seats. AIMIM won eight seats, while the NCP won three. The Samajwadi Party got two seats, and the NCP-SP won one seat.