Amid a heated political battle over the Mumbai mayor’s post, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, alleged that the ruling Mahayuti alliance was tapping the phones of newly elected BJP and Shiv Sena corporators. He claimed that corporators from both parties, who have been shifted to a luxury hotel, are under constant surveillance by BJP workers. Raut further alleged that the mayoral decision was being dictated from Delhi, calling it an insult to Maharashtra. Responding strongly, Maharashtra Social Justice Minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat dismissed the allegations, saying Raut needed medical attention and asserting that the BJP’s numerical strength makes its mayoral claim obvious.
Sanjay Shirsat said, “Sanjay Raut is in need of medical attention right now. In the places where we have 27 municipal corporators, the BJP has more corporators, so it is obvious that the Mayor will be from the BJP. The Mahayuti government is coming to power, and that is a big thing for us.”
Raut told reporters that BJP workers were closely monitoring the movements of every corporator and alleged that the party was even tapping the phones of its own elected members. He also claimed that Shiv Sena corporators “locked” in a luxury hotel were being similarly monitored. As suspense intensified over the ruling Shiv Sena’s stand on the mayor’s post, Raut met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on the same day, adding another political dimension to the unfolding developments amid the high-stakes power struggle in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
The BJP categorically rejected Raut’s allegations, stating that the party does not indulge in such activities and has full faith in its corporators. Maharashtra BJP media in-charge Navnath Ban rubbished the claims and instead questioned Raut about alleged phone tapping during the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government. He asked Raut to clarify who had tapped the phones of Eknath Shinde and Uday Samant when Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA was in power, asserting that the BJP enjoys strong support and does not need surveillance tactics to secure loyalty.
In the recent BMC elections, the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance ended the Thackeray family’s nearly three-decade-long control over India’s richest civic body, ensuring that Mumbai will no longer have a mayor chosen by Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP won 89 seats, while the Shiv Sena secured 29, giving the alliance a clear majority. Shiv Sena later moved its corporators to a luxury hotel, citing an orientation programme. While Eknath Shinde has insisted that the mayor will be from the Mahayuti, he has also hinted at Shiv Sena’s claim, citing Bal Thackeray’s birth centenary and the sentiments of party workers.