BMC polls: 40-star campaigners are announced by Shiv Sena (UBT)
BMC polls: 5 The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) announced its list of 40 leading candidates on Monday, ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Prominent party figures on the list include senior politicians like Sanjay Raut and Sushma Andhare, as well as party chairman Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray.
On January 15, 29 municipal corporations around Maharashtra will go to the polls; the results will be announced on January 16.
To secure the local bodies, the Thackeray group has rallied its most powerful voices. Uddhav Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray, and Subhash Desai are prominent figures on the 40-member list, while current MPs Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant, Priyanka Chaturvedi, and former MP Vinayak Raut are among the parliamentary faces.
The young and cultural wings are represented by Varun Sardesai and Aadesh Bandekar, while the regional heavyweights are Bhaskar Jadhav, Ambadas Danve, and Anil Parab. Party lawmakers Sunil Prabhu, Sachin Ahir, Nitin Deshmukh, and party spokesperson Anand Dubey are among the other prominent figures.
Additionally, on Monday at Vikhroli, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, the founding leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, will have their first-ever combined rally. As the two leaders team together for the next municipal elections, this represents a significant change in Mumbai’s political environment.
There will be seven or eight combined rallies around the state, the first of which is taking place in the eastern suburbs. To raise employee morale, the leaders are anticipated to visit the local offices of the MNS (shakhas) and the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Over the last two days, Uddhav Thackeray has been visiting party shakhas and encouraging the members to unify in order to checkmate the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition.
Amit Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray are also slated to speak at two combined rallies in Mumbai, carrying on their fathers’ legacy.
Earlier, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS released their joint manifesto for the BMC elections on Sunday, called “Vachan Nama.” It included a number of promises, such as Swabhiman Nidhi, which included a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 for domestic workers and Koli women (fishing women), one lakh affordable homes in five years, the establishment of a BMC Housing Authority, 100 units of free electricity for residential users from Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), an employment allowance, interest-free loans for gig workers, five medical colleges, and breakfast and lunch at Rs 10.
The manifesto specifically calls for a “Marathi Mayor” and emphasizes that “Mumbaikars” shall be the primary occupants of Mumbai’s territory.