Even after the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) secured a decisive mandate with 71 seats in the Vasai–Virar Municipal Corporation elections, political temperatures in the region remain high amid speculation that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to destabilise the verdict through an alleged ‘Operation Lotus’.Responding to the buzz, BVA president and former MLA Hitendra Thakur issued a sharp warning to the BJP, accusing it of spreading rumours and attempting to undermine the people’s mandate.“Don’t indulge in such tactics. The people have already taught you a lesson,” Thakur said, asserting that the BVA remains united. “I am confident that not a single corporator from my party will defect. Our strength lies in the trust of the people, not in backdoor politics.”
The controversy gained further traction after BJP spokesperson Manoj Barot made a suggestive statement, remarking that “anything can happen in politics,” which was widely interpreted as hinting at possible political manoeuvring.Dismissing these claims outright, Thakur alleged that the speculation was being deliberately fuelled by the BJP. “This is nothing but a rumour planted by the BJP. They are circulating false narratives to create confusion. The people of Vasai–Virar are watching everything closely,” he said. Thakur reiterated that the BVA’s victory reflected public confidence in its leadership and governance. “The mandate is clear. Attempts to disrespect it will not succeed,” he added. With sharp exchanges between political rivals and mounting speculation, the post-election scenario in Vasai–Virar has turned tense, making the alleged ‘Operation Lotus’ a key talking point in the region’s evolving political landscape.
Hitendra Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) outdid the major national parties in the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation elections, with as many as 71 candidates from the party registering victories. The BJP was a close second, with 43 candidates from the party emerging victorious. The Shiv Sena (UBT) managed to win merely one seat. Other major political parties, including the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), and Shiv Sena (Shinde), failed to make a mark in the elections. In contrast, smaller parties like the AIMIM, AAP, Samajwadi Party, and BSP each appeared to have won one seat. However, despite the decent showing by the BVA, several senior leaders of the party suffered setbacks. These included Hardik Raut, Pankaj Thakur, and Kiran Thakur. Hitendra Thakur, who is the founder and chief of the BVA, is one of the most influential politicians in Maharashtra's coastal belt.The Thakurs’ BVA has dominated politics in the region since 1990s , both at the assembly level and, since 2010, in the newly-formed municipal corporation.In 2010, BVA won 55 of 89 seats and in 2015, it won 105 of 115 seats.