Mumbai’s iconic dabbawalas, known for their efficient lunchbox delivery system, have expressed disappointment over Shiv Sena’s failure to deliver on promises made in the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Despite being in power for five years in the BMC and having Uddhav Thackeray serve as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister for a period, the party has only fulfilled one of its commitments—the construction of Dabbawala Bhavan. The remaining pledges, which were aimed at improving the livelihoods of the dabbawala community, remain unfulfilled, leading to mounting dissatisfaction.

According to the 2017 BMC vision document, Shiv Sena had outlined a structured plan to uplift Mumbai’s dabbawalas, including: