Mahayuti Victory Secured, But Mumbai’s Mayor Still Undecided As BJP

Mahayuti Victory Secured, But Mumbai’s Mayor Still Undecided As BJP–Shiv Sena Talks Drag On

Despite registering a clear win in the fiercely contested elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Mahayuti alliance is yet to settle the crucial question of who will become the next mayor of Mumbai. Political sources on Monday indicated that discussions between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde are expected shortly to resolve the impasse.

The delay comes even as the alliance enjoys a comfortable numerical edge in the 227-member civic body, widely regarded as the richest municipal corporation in the country. With the results declared on January 16, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the largest party, while its ally Shiv Sena secured enough seats to cross the majority mark together.

Sources said that Fadnavis, who returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos on Sunday, is likely to meet Shinde either late Monday night or by Tuesday to iron out differences over power-sharing within the BMC. The mayoral election is tentatively expected in early February, once all elected councillors complete the formal registration process.

Numbers Favor Mahayuti, Politics Slows the Process

The BJP won 89 seats in the civic polls, while the Shiv Sena secured 29. Together, they command 118 seats—comfortably above the majority threshold of 114. The tally could further increase with the support of three Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) councillors, taking the alliance’s strength to 121.

Although the NCP is part of the Mahayuti at the state level, it chose to contest the BMC election independently. On the opposition side, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, the Congress bagged 24, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) secured six. Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) managed just one seat. Notably, Sena (UBT) and MNS fought the election together following a rare reunion of the Thackeray cousins.

Power-Sharing Formula Hits Roadblock

Sources revealed that Eknath Shinde initially proposed a rotational mayoral arrangement of two and a half years each, a suggestion that did not find favour with the BJP. He later pushed for at least one year of mayoral tenure for the Shiv Sena, but the BJP remained firm on its position.

With the mayor’s post still unresolved, Shinde is now said to be pressing for key positions such as deputy mayor and chairperson of the influential standing committee. The BJP leadership, however, is yet to signal agreement.