'Resort Politics' In Maharashtra? Shinde Sena Hides Corporators In Bandra Hotel Amid 'Poaching' Fear After BMC Results

New Delhi: In a move signalling the start of intense "resort politics" in Maharashtra following the 2026 BMC election results, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is all set to move its winning candidates in a luxury hotel in Bandra, as per sources.

The decision comes less than 24 hours after the Mahayuti alliance secured a narrow majority in India’s richest civic body.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, the Mahayuti alliance relies heavily on the 29 seats won by Eknath Shinde’s faction to cross the magic majority mark of 114.

Sources within the Shinde camp state that the move is a precautionary measure to shield winning candidates from "poaching" attempts by Uddhav-Thackeray led Shiv Sena.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), which secured 65 seats, remains a potent threat to Shinde’s flock, as many of the new corporators share long-standing personal ties with the Thackeray family.

Bargaining for the Mayor’s Seat

The question of who will be the new mayor of Mumbai looms large after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies swept the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.

Rumors suggest the Shinde faction is eyeing the deputy Mayor position and chairmanship of the powerful Standing Committee.

While BJP leaders, including Speaker Rahul Narwekar, have hinted that the Mayor will be from the BJP, the Shinde faction’s isolation of its winners suggests they will not settle for a secondary role without significant concessions, as per sources.

Shinde, who had unsuccessfully tried to wrangle the chief minister's seat from the BJP in 2024 despite winning 57 Assembly seats against the BJP's 132, appeared more guarded. He said, "More than power and post of mayor, we are interested in making a difference in the lives of Mumbaikars," as per news reports.

Post-poll development

With the Mayoral election scheduled for next week, all eyes remain on the Bandra hotel to see if the Mahayuti’s "triple-engine" government can hold its gears together or if a "reverse-split" is in the making.

In a dramatic post-poll development, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) is reportedly exploring an "impossible coalition" to snatch control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) away from the BJP-led Mahayuti. Despite the Mahayuti alliance crossing the majority mark with 118 seats, the Thackeray camp is reaching out to the Congress and, most significantly, the AIMIM to form a consolidated opposition bloc.

Maharashtra poll results

According to official figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BMC, the BJP won 89 seats, polling 11,79,273 votes, which accounts for 21.58 per cent of the total votes cast.

Among all winning candidates, the BJP's vote share stands at 45.22 per cent, making it the single largest party in the civic body.

Its alliance partner, the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), secured 29 seats with 2,73,326 votes, translating into 5.00 per cent of the total vote share. Together, the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) alliance emerged as the largest bloc in the BMC. 

On the other side, the Shiv Sena (UBT), contesting in alliance with the MNS, won 65 seats. The UBT-led Sena polled 7,17,736 votes, accounting for 13.13 per cent of the total votes cast.

The MNS added 6 seats to the alliance tally, with 74,946 votes and a 1.37 per cent vote share. The Indian National Congress (INC) secured 24 seats, polling 2,42,646 votes, which represents 4.44 per cent of the total vote share.

Among other parties, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) won 8 seats with 68,072 votes. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured 3 seats, the Samajwadi Party won 2 seats, and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won 1 seat.

The results reflect a fragmented but competitive civic mandate, with alliances playing a decisive role in shaping the final outcome of the BMC elections.

Also Read: Maharashtra Civic Polls Scorecard: Sharad Pawar's NCP Emerges Biggest Loser, Owaisi's AIMIM Expand Footprints