Eknath Shinde slams Uddhav Thackeray over BMC 'misrule', vows Mahayuti victory

Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde launched a scathing attack on Uddhav Thackeray the leader of the Shiv Sena UBT faction over the ldquomisrule in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMCrdquo stating that the Mahayuti should and would win the upcoming civic poll or else the city would go from bad to worseAddressing the crowd at his partyrsquos Dussehra rally on Thursday in a veiled attack on Thackeray Shinde asked rhetorically where the wealth accumulated over the 30year rule over the BMC had gone ldquoHas it gone to Londonrdquo the deputy chief minister asked This was Shindersquos fourth rally since he split the party in 2022 The venue was shifted from Azad Maidan to the NESCO Centre in Goregaon due to heavy rainfallShinde in his 53minute speech reiterated that Thackeray and his party leaders were sharing seats with those read as Congress who insulted Veer Savarkar ldquoIs this your Hindutva Balasahebrsquos Hindutva was given up in 2019 when the undivided Sena allied with Congressrdquo Shinde said alleging that all this was done merely to occupy the chief ministerrsquos chairShiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde addresses his cadres at partyrsquos Dussehra rally at NESCO Centre in Goregaon East PICSATEJ SHINDEShinde further stated that for his party the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackerayrsquos ideology and teachings were the real wealth This yearrsquos rally carried special significance coming just months before the civic elections The BMC has long been considered a Shiv Sena bastion Shindersquos ability to wrest it from Thackeray will be the biggest test for his party since the splitShinde claimed that since the BMC elections were around the corner one would see emotional subjects being raised such as alleged attempts to take away Mumbai from the Marathispeaking people ldquoMumbai belongs to the Marathispeaking people and it will continue to remain this wayrdquo Shinde added The Supreme Court has directed that elections to the BMC and 28 other corporations must be completed by January 31 2026A former chief minister Shinde further slammed Uddhav Thackeray for the declining Marathispeaking population ldquoDuring whose tenure did the number of Marathi speakers reducerdquo he asked assuring the audience that he would bring back this demographic to Mumbai As part of achieving the goal the ruling regime has launched several housing schemes that have been designed accordinglyThe last civic polls were held in 2017 when the undivided Shiv Sena won 84 seats just two more than the BJPrsquos tally of 82 But after Shindersquos revolt in 2022 over half of Thackerayrsquos corporators joined his camp Meanwhile Raj Thackerayrsquos Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS once a key player has steadily lost relevanceNow Uddhav and Raj Thackeray are likely to join forces for the upcoming polls which could dent Shindersquos chances as all three factions share a common Marathispeaking voter base Thatrsquos why the BMC contest is being seen as a doordie battle for the Thackeray cousins and a crucial survival test for ShindeNo wonder when concluding his Dussehra rally speech Shinde asked party workers to set aside their differences and start working towards the goal of winning the BMC and other municipal corporation polls Shinde made an emotional appeal stating that next year was Balasaheb Thackerayrsquos birth centenary ldquoOur Shiv Sena will celebrate it in a big wayrdquo Shinde addedScheme statementsShinde stated that this yearrsquos Dusshera was different as the festive season took place under the shadow of heavy rain which affected several thousand families and farmland in several parts of Maharashtra ldquoIt is my promise that relief will reach every affected family and farmers by Diwalirdquo Shinde said The deputy chief minister further claimed that the statersquos flagship programme the Ladki Bahin Yojana would never be called off ldquoIt is my promise that the scheme will never be stoppedrdquo he added Under the programme every eligible woman is given Rs 1500 per month by the state government