Encouraged by the outcome in Kalyan, Shiv Sena is now focusing on the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation, where a comparable realignment is taking place.
The Shinde faction has established a 40-member coalition to take control of the 78-member civic body, the exact number required for forming the ruling administration, as reported by The Times of India (TOI).
This group consists of 36 Shiv Sena corporators, two from Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), and two from a local alliance. Although the BJP became the largest party with 37 seats, it was short of a majority by three, providing an opportunity for Shinde’s strategy, according to TOI.
Shiv Sena corporator Arun Aashan has been appointed leader of this newly created group. Talks were initiated with the sole Congress corporator, but they did not officially join the bloc during registration. Nonetheless, Congress has suggested it might support the Shinde-led Sena if needed to establish the civic body, the report noted.
Shinde Sena and MNS in Kalyan-Dombivli
In a strategic maneuver in Kalyan-Dombivli, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) backed the Shinde faction, allowing it to claim the mayor’s seat despite running the civic elections alongside the BJP.
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KDMC comprises 122 seats, where a simple majority requires 62. Shinde’s Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party with 53 corporators, closely followed by the BJP with 50 seats.
The support from five MNS corporators, along with four corporators associated with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), enabled Shinde’s group to surpass the majority threshold, effectively relegating the BJP to opposition status, as reported by News18 Hindi.
Raj Thackeray’s endorsement of Shinde, despite his political alignment with Uddhav Thackeray at the state level, highlighted the importance of numbers over sentiment in civic politics, according to News18.
Strains within the ruling Mahayuti alliance
Political analysts observe that these developments signify increasing tension within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti coalition.
By gaining control of critical municipal corporations like KDMC and Ulhasnagar, Shinde is solidifying his influence in the Thane–Kalyan region, even at the expense of alliance stability with the BJP, as suggested by News18.
However, Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan clarified that the ruling Mahayuti alliance will govern the three municipal corporations — Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane, and Ulhasnagar.
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“The BJP–Shiv Sena alliance has received a clear public mandate in all three civic bodies. Thus, the mayoral positions will be held by Mahayuti candidates,” Chavan stated.
