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Credit: PTI File Photo
Mumbai: Growing unease among the ruling allies, particularly the BJP and Shiv Sena, along with a legal challenge from the Supreme Court on the OBC reservation are two of the prominent issues the Mahayuti alliance is facing ahead in the first phase of the Maharashtra local body polls.
Elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats are scheduled to be held on December 2, marking the first major electoral test for the ruling alliance comprising the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP since their landslide victory in the state assembly elections last year.
The most significant immediate uncertainty stems from the Supreme Court, which made it clear on November 25 that the final results of elections to 57 local bodies (in the first phase), where 50 per cent ceiling on quota has been breached, would be subject to its final judgment on the OBC reservation issue.
The court had previously warned that if the quota limit was breached, the elections could be annulled. The State Election Commission (SEC) has confirmed that the 50 per cent reservation cap has been exceeded in the 57 notified bodies.
The alliance's momentum is further hampered by the growing instances of friction among the partners, primarily over the poaching of former corporators and local functionaries.
Tensions have been particularly high in areas like Thane and the Kalyan-Dombivli region, the home turf of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Last week, Shiv Sena ministers, except Shinde, skipped the weekly cabinet meeting to signal their displeasure over the BJP's "poaching" of local Sena leaders and workers. Immediately after the meeting, Shinde and other Sena ministers held talks with CM Devendra Fadnavis and a "no poaching agreement" was put in place to curb further discontent.
Soon after that, Deputy CM Shinde met with Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, in Delhi to raise concerns about these internal rifts, warning that such "avoidable disruptions" could "vitiate the atmosphere" and give the Opposition an undue advantage.
Shinde, while addressing a rally in Dahanu, said that arrogance caused Ravana's downfall and Ravana's Lanka was set on fire and brought down because of his arrogance.
Political observers attributed the comments as a veiled dig at the BJP since it was the first after the skipping of the cabinet meeting by Shiv Sena ministers.
Addressing a rally elsewhere, Fadnavis said, "We are followers of Lord Ram, and we don't live in Lanka." On Wednesday, Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane alleged that bags of cash meant for distribution to voters were found at the house of a BJP worker at Malvan in Sindhudurg district ahead of the 2 local body elections.
Rane, whose father, Narayan Rane, and brother, state minister Nitesh Rane, are with the BJP, claimed to have conducted a "sting operation".
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule called for a strict legal action if any wrongdoing was found in the seizure of cash allegedly meant for voter distribution, but questioned Nilesh Rane's approach of entering the worker's house, including the bedroom, and conducting what he claimed was a "sting operation".
State BJP president Ravindra Chavan said he will respond to Rane's allegations, and insisted on saving the alliance till the first phase of local body polls.
BJP MLA Tanaji Mutkule from Hingoli is also engaged in a bitter war of words with ally Shiv Sena legislator Santosh Bangar.
The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), is leveraging the Mahayuti's internal chaos.
The MVA leaders, who have also raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the voter lists, are hoping the multi-cornered contests resulting from the Mahayuti's "friendly fights" will split the ruling parties' votes and allow their candidates to secure narrow victories.
But the MVA allies are not on the same page over the inclusion of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). While the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) is keen to take the MNS along, there appears to be a division in the Congress over the issue.
While senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar favouring a united contest, while MP Varsha Gaikwad said the party was firm on not aligning with the MNS for the municipal corporation polls in Mumbai, expected to be held in January 2026.
The first phase of the elections will decide the fate of 6,859 members and 288 presidents across these local bodies, with over 1.07 crore eligible voters set to exercise their franchise at 13,355 polling stations. The SEC has received more than 51,000 nominations. The final list of candidates is expected to be published in a day or two.