In January 2026, Maharashtra conducted elections for 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). These local elections are crucial as they manage large urban budgets and serve as a major test of strength for political parties before the state assembly elections.

Balasaheb Thackeray (1926–2012) founded the Shiv Sena in 1966. His politics was famously based on two pillars: ‘Marathi Manoos’ (protecting the rights of native Marathi speakers) and ‘Hindutva’ (Hindu nationalism). Today, his son Uddhav Thackeray and former aide Eknath Shinde lead rival factions, both claiming to be the true protectors of his ideology.

In 2022, Eknath Shinde led a split in the Shiv Sena and formed an alliance with the BJP. This alliance is known as the ‘Mahayuti’ (Grand Alliance). While the Shinde faction is the official Shiv Sena, it faces a tough challenge from Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, especially in their traditional stronghold of Mumbai.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) split in July 2023. Ajit Pawar joined the BJP-led ‘Mahayuti’ alliance, while Sharad Pawar remained with the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ (MVA) which includes the Congress and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena. Despite this split, the family often maintains local-level cooperation in their home district of Pune.

Raj Thackeray left the Shiv Sena in 2005 to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after differences with Uddhav Thackeray. For nearly 20 years, they were bitter political rivals. Their decision to cooperate in the 2026 elections was seen as a desperate attempt to save the Thackeray family’s political influence against the rising BJP.

The BMC has been the financial and political powerhouse of the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena for over 25 years. It manages a massive budget and provides the party with significant influence in Mumbai. The BJP-Shinde alliance winning the BMC is a historic shift, as it breaks the long-standing monopoly of the Thackeray family over India’s financial capital.

The Shiv Sena’s control over the BMC began in the late 1990s and continued uninterrupted until these 2026 elections. This long period of governance allowed the party to deeply embed itself in Mumbai’s local administration and social fabric, making the recent loss even more significant.

The BJP’s success in these major cities highlights its growing appeal among urban voters in Maharashtra. Nagpur is the political home of Devendra Fadnavis, while Pune and Navi Mumbai are major IT and industrial hubs where the BJP has built a strong support base over the last decade.

Latur, Bhiwandi, and Chandrapur are among the few remaining pockets where the Congress still holds some ground in Maharashtra. However, compared to its past dominance, the party’s inability to win in major urban hubs like Mumbai, Pune, or Nagpur indicates that it has not yet recovered from its long-term decline in the state.

The Pawar and Thackeray families have dominated Maharashtra’s political landscape for over 50 years. However, recent splits within these families (Ajit vs Sharad Pawar, and Eknath Shinde vs Uddhav Thackeray) have caused confusion and disappointment among their traditional supporters, potentially creating a vacuum that other parties like the Congress could fill.

The Congress is a partner of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. However, it has always been wary of Raj Thackeray’s MNS due to his past aggressive campaigns against North Indian migrants, which could alienate the Congress’s core voters in other parts of India.

The AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, has been expanding its presence in Maharashtra, particularly in the Marathwada region and Mumbai. By winning votes in Muslim-majority areas, it often cuts into the Congress’s traditional vote bank, making it harder for the Congress to win seats in these regions.

Devendra Fadnavis is the first BJP Chief Minister of Maharashtra to complete a full five-year term (2014–2019). Known for his administrative skills and political strategy, he has been the face of the BJP in the state. Winning the 2026 civic elections under his leadership further strengthens his claim as the most powerful leader in Maharashtra politics today.

Devendra Fadnavis is often seen as a moderate and modern face of the BJP. However, he must constantly balance this image with the demands of the party’s core ‘hardline’ supporters who expect a strong focus on religious and ideological goals. Managing a diverse state like Maharashtra requires him to prioritize development and administration over pure ideology.

Over the last few decades, the percentage of native Marathi speakers in cities like Mumbai has decreased as people from across India move there for opportunities. This demographic shift has forced regional parties to either expand their appeal to non-Marathi voters or risk losing their political dominance to national parties like the BJP.

The Shiv Sena was built on aggressive ‘sons of the soil’ campaigns that often targeted migrants from other states. Today, as the party tries to become more inclusive to win urban votes, this violent and exclusionary history acts as a barrier, making it difficult for them to gain the trust of non-Marathi speaking communities.

The BJP in Maharashtra successfully combines religious mobilization with an appeal to the large migrant population. By focusing on a broader Hindu identity, it overcomes the regional limitations of the Shiv Sena, while its national presence makes it the natural choice for Hindi-speaking migrants who have moved to Maharashtra’s cities.

The editorial ends with a call for a more balanced and inclusive form of politics. It warns that while communal polarization might bring short-term electoral gains, it can harm the social fabric of a diverse state like Maharashtra. A truly successful political platform should focus on development and unity for all citizens, regardless of their background.