Jolt to Thackeray brothers? Sena (UBT)-MNS panel loses all 21 seats in BEST poll

Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) suffered a major political embarrassment as their joint panel was wiped out in the BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society Ltd election, losing all 21 seats they contested. The defeat casts doubt on the viability of a future alliance between the Thackeray cousins ahead of crucial civic polls.

The two parties had formed the 'Utkarsh' panel, with 18 candidates from the Sena (UBT), two from the MNS, and one from an allied Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes association. The rival panel led by Shashank Rao won the maximum 14 seats. Other seats were bagged by the 'Sahakar Samruddhi' panel, affiliated with BJP MLC Prasad Lad, and a union aligned with the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The election was held for the cooperative credit society linked to employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), a civic undertaking that operates Mumbai's red buses and functions under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The credit society, with over 15,000 members, comprises current and former employees of the undertaking.

Leaders from both parties had admitted the MNS lacked the base within BEST but saw the election as an opportunity to showcase unity between the Thackeray cousins-Uddhav and Raj-before the high-stakes elections to Mumbai's cash-rich BMC and other urban and rural bodies. The BMC was under Shiv Sena control for over two decades before it was placed under an administrator.

"The Thackeray brand turned out to be ‘zero’ in the BEST employees’ cooperative credit society election. The boss of the brand could not even win a single seat. We have shown them their position," said BJP's Prasad Lad.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the election had been politicised unnecessarily by the Sena (UBT) and MNS. "I think there was no need to politicise this kind of election, as it was just a credit society poll. But they politicised it by making tall claims that the Thackeray brand will win. But it seems people did not like it. The poll outcome reflected rejection by the people."

BJP Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar called the result a "positive sign" for his party. "Workers and employees have backed us, while those fighting for ‘pat’ (credibility) and ‘pedhi’ (money) have been handed a big pumpkin,” he posted on social media. “Once again, it is clear that workers and labourers are with us.”

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also reacted to the defeat. "People have done the work of busting the brand. They have backed us, which is why we won the Vidhan Sabha polls. Mahayuti will win a thumping majority in local body polls," he said.

The election, though typically low-profile, was viewed by Sena (UBT) leaders as a test of unity between the Thackeray cousins ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. However, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut downplayed the outcome, saying, "The Thackeray brand can never fail. The credit society election is neither a final exam nor a unit test."

Suhas Samant, president of the BEST Kamgar Sena, which supported the losing panel, called the defeat "shocking." MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said, "The war has not ended yet."

Shashank Rao, son of late trade unionist Sharad Rao, said the result was a verdict by the workers. “BEST employees have rejected the Sena (UBT)-led group because of their ‘anti-worker’ policies,” he said.

For years, BEST credit society was dominated by the BEST Kamgar Sena, but this election marks a significant shift in its political balance.