BMC polls: Thackeray cousins have united to ‘save Mumbai’, says Raut

Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut said that the coming together of the Thackeray cousins for the BMC Election 2026 is aimed to ldquosave Mumbairdquo Raut highlighted that the alliance of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray has ldquobuilt trustrdquo among the people of the cityIn view of strengthening the position of their party ahead of the civic polls the two cousins have joined hands to contest the BMC elections together as per IANSEarlier on Sunday the two parties unveiled their joint manifesto titled lsquoVachan Namarsquo which prominently features photographs of the Thackeray cousins along with Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb ThackeraySpeaking to the media Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut said ldquoThe point is this election is not just about the Thackeray brothers Mumbai is a city that is like a country in itself Mumbai is often referred to as the financial capital of the country and additionally it serves as the capital of Maharashtra And in the capital of Maharashtra Balasaheb Thackeray and the Shiv Sena have always been in powerrdquo as per IANSRaut further pointed out that while the city has undergone major changes over the past few years the Shiv Sena UBT and its influence in the civic body remain strongRaut also highlighted that the party would once again assert its dominance in the BMC as it has done for nearly three decadesKeeping in mind that the Shiv Sena has never secured an absolute majority on its own in the civic body For most of its tenure in the BMC the party governed Mumbai in alliance with the BJP which remained its junior partner until the two parted ways in 2014Raut while hailing Uddhav and Raj Thackerayrsquos alliance for the civic polls also added ldquoThese elections are being conducted after seven years the entire demography of the state has changed the entire city has changed However Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray have come together to save Mumbairdquo as cited by news agency IANSldquoShiv Sena has always been there to protect the Maharashtrians Every section of Mumbai is with Shiv Sena Whenever there is a talk about Mumbai and the issues and problems that it is facing then everyonersquos first thought is that Shiv Sena will protect usrdquo the Shiv Sena UBT MP addedEmphasising the public response to the alliance he added ldquoThe Thackeray brothers uniting has built a trust in the hearts of peoplerdquoShiv Sena UBTMNS alliance promises affordable housingMeanwhile in their joint manifesto the Thackeray cousins have promised affordable housing and major improvements in infrastructure including healthcare facilities public transport and the education sector if they come to powerThe joint manifesto of Shiv Sena UBT and MNS also mentioned improved welfare measures for women with a proposal to provide a monthly allowance of Rs 1500 to women employed as domestic workers and Koli women under the proposed lsquoSwabhiman Nidhirsquo scheme reported IANSThe manifesto was released at a joint press conference held at Shiv Sena Bhawan an event that marked Raj Thackerayrsquos return to the party headquarters after nearly 20 yearsWith inputs from IANS