Possible tie-up between Thackeray cousins unlikely to hit BJP's poll prospects: Party survey

Mumbai: A possible alliance between Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray-led MNS is unlikely to affect the BJP's poll prospects, a ruling party functionary has said citing an internal survey in view of the coming Mumbai civic body elections.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has begun preparations for polls to the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, as well as other major civic bodies including Pune and Thane, likely to be held later this year.

Cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray have sparked speculation about a possible reconciliation with statements indicating they could ignore "trivial issues" and join hands nearly two decades after a bitter parting of ways.

While the MNS chief has said uniting in the interests of Marathi manoos (Marathi speaking people) is not difficult, Uddhav Thackeray said he was ready to put aside trivial fights, provided those working against Maharashtra's interests were not entertained.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the MNS offered support to the BJP in Maharashtra, but six months later, both parties fought the state assembly polls separately.

"In view of the political developments from the Thackeray cousins, the BJP undertook a detailed survey to evaluate the potential impact of a Uddhav-Raj alliance on Mumbai's electoral landscape," the BJP functionary said on Wednesday.

According to findings of the internal assessment, their possible alliance is unlikely to dent BJP's prospects in the city, he said.

The survey indicates that BJP retains a strong position in Mumbai owing to three key factors: the trust of its traditional voter base, the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the party's robust performance in the last state assembly elections, the functionary said.

"Even in areas with a traditional Marathi voter base, the BJP's support remains stable. The survey suggests that an alliance between the Thackeray brothers would not adversely affect the party's seat count," the functionary said.

The assessment further indicates that after the split in the Shiv Sena in 2022, Uddhav Thackeray's influence in Mumbai has waned, with nearly half of the party's corporators having joined the Eknath Shinde faction. Raj Thackeray's influence, meanwhile, is seen as limited, he said.

The BJP stands to gain if it contests 150 seats (out of total 227) in the BMC elections, the functionary said.

The party's preparations are being aligned accordingly, the functionary added.