Triumph in the municipal elections has emboldened BJP leaders to launch a verbal offensive against rival Uddhav Thackeray. ‘The people of Mumbai have carried out the slaughter of Uddhav Thackeray’s mafia army,’ one declared, encapsulating the saffron camp’s jubilation over sweeping victories.
Breaking down the numbers: In BMC, BJP-Shinde Sena independents clinched over 150 seats, dwarfing Uddhav’s Shiv Sena (UBT) tally. Similar patterns emerged in Pimpri-Chinchwad and other corporations, underscoring a statewide rejection of the MVA experiment.
The leader’s provocative language draws from a long history of Mumbai’s underworld-politics nexus, implicitly accusing Uddhav’s group of perpetuating it. ‘Voters have chosen development over don-like politics,’ he emphasized, citing stalled projects under previous regimes.
Campaign dynamics played a pivotal role. BJP’s digital blitzkrieg, celebrity endorsements, and Eknath Shinde’s personal appeal resonated deeply. Meanwhile, Uddhav’s virtual rallies failed to galvanize the base.
As oath-taking ceremonies loom, expectations soar for tangible improvements in public transport, healthcare, and sanitation. The BJP vows accountability, with performance audits promised for legacy schemes.
This political earthquake reverberates nationally, boosting Modi’s aura in urban Maharashtra. For Uddhav, it’s a wake-up call—reinvent or fade into irrelevance in the city his family built.