Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray began a three-day assessment on Thursday to evaluate his party's standing in Mumbai ahead of the upcoming civic elections, likely to be held next year, according to a close aide. Following the 2022 split of the Bal Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena, the recent assembly elections were viewed as a crucial test for Uddhav's faction, which is part of the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
However, the MVA faced a poor performance in the elections, securing only 46 of the state's 288 assembly seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning 20 of those. In Mumbai, out of the 36 assembly seats, Sena (UBT) contested 21 constituencies and emerged victorious in 10.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday reiterated that the party might contest the upcoming civic elections, including those for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), independently. The chief spokesperson of Uddhav Thackeray's faction asserted that Sena (UBT) has an undisputed influence in Mumbai, warning that if the party does not secure a win, "the city could be separated from Maharashtra by the ruling alliance."