Rift Over Seat Sharing in Maharashtra? Eknath Shinde Mounts Pressure On BJP; Demands 112 Seats Ahead Of BMC polls

New Delhi: In a major breakthrough in seat-sharing negotiations within the Mahayuti Alliance ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections , Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is reportedly bargaining hard for a larger share, demanding 112 of 227 Mumbai seats from the BJP citing his urban stronghold. The BJP has offered Shinde only 90 seats, which he has rejected, as per sources.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently slated to contest approximately 125 seats.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde exuded confidence in the victory of Mahuyati after the alliance registered a decisive victory in the recently concluded local body polls.

Citing the results of the local body polls, Deputy CM Shinde, in a veiled dig at the opposition Shiv Sena UBT, said the results clearly show that people have identified "who is real and who is fake."

He added, "In the recent elections for municipal councils and municipalities, the Mahayuti alliance has secured a majority. In some places we contested separately and in some places together, but when we look at the final results, victory has been achieved in 75-80% in favour of Mahayuti. The people have made it clear who is the real one and who is the fake one... Those people are doing politics only for the chair... In the upcoming elections, Mahayuti will win because Mahayuti is working, it is developing, so I confidently say that Mahayuti will win in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation," as quoted by ANI.

Shinde argues that Shiv Sena’s traditional voters in Mumbai may avoid supporting the BJP against the Thackeray brothers- Uddhav and Raj- who are set to announce their election alliance today, and key leaders and workers from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena in Kolhapur are joining Shinde’s faction in his presence. 

Much-Awaited Reunion

The much-awaited reunion of Thackeray brothers- Uddhav and Raj- will take place today at 12 noon (December 24, 2025), as per senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

Raut said, "Today, Uddhavji and Raj Thackeray will come together and announce the election alliance. This is a very happy moment for Maharashtra and for all the Marathi people. Balasaheb Thackeray founded Shiv Sena for the sons of the soil here. For 20 years, the Thackeray brothers were not together, and Maharashtra had to suffer a lot. Now, to teach the BJP a lesson, to stop the loot that's going on in Mumbai, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have come together. We will contest elections together in 10 Municipal Corporations of Mumbai...."

The press meet will be held at Worli in the afternoon.

About the reunion

The speculations about the reunion of Thackeray brothers spiralled the political circles when Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) MP Sanjay Raut shared a picture of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray standing together. Sharing the picture on social media, Raut added, "Tomorrow at 12 noon."

Raut, stating that the final touches of the pact were finalised on Wednesday night, also stated that Congress will no longer be their ally for the BMC elections. Raut said, "The issue regarding Congress is currently closed, but Sena Sena (UBT) will continue to talk to Congress till the end.”

In effect, the picture points to the much-discussed alliance where both parties- Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)- have been exploring the possibility to join hands.

With this reunion, the grand ruling alliance may face a challenge ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

Seat Sharing Pact

UBT Sena functionaries highlighted that the Sena (UBT) will get 145 to 150 seats in Mumbai, the MNS 65 to 70 seats, while 10 to 12 seats will be given to NCP (SP). 

The Congress is in talks with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) of Prakash Ambedkar. Despite Shiv Sena (UBT)'s insistence on a collective fight against the BJP, the Mumbai Congress had announced that they will go solo.

The Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, meanwhile, is working out options with Thackeray brothers as well as the Congress.

NCP(SP) is looking for to join hands with Thackeray brothers, provided they get a respectable share of seats. To cover all bases, they are not ruling out an alignment with the Congress.

BMC elections

Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Polling will be held on January 15, with counting set to take place on January 16.

Meanwhile, the Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, has dominated the local bodies elections for all 286 municipalities and nagar panchayats. 

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while congratulating BJP workers for the victory, said that this performance is a "trailer" to the upcoming municipal polls.

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