The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena alliance have won the Mumbai Municipal elections 2026, faced a major blow to the Shiv Sena UBT. Reacting sharply to the outcome, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut targeted Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, calling him “Jaichand” and accusing him of betraying the party.
Commenting on the results, Raut said that had Shinde not betrayed the Shiv Sena, the BJP would never have been able to secure the mayor’s post in Mumbai. He added that the Marathi people would remember Shinde as “Jaichand”, a reference to historical betrayal.
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Sharing his reaction on X, Raut wrote, “If Eknath Shinde had not become Shiv Sena’s Jaichand, the BJP would never have become the mayor of Mumbai. The Marathi people will remember Shinde as Jaichand.”
The results of the BMC elections were announced on Friday. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, won 29 seats. Together, the alliance secured 118 of the BMC’s 227 seats, enough to claim the mayor’s post. The Thackeray brothers’ parties together won 72 seats.
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In 2022, Eknath Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership along with 39 MLAs, leading to the collapse of the Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra. Since then, Sanjay Raut has consistently targeted Shinde, repeatedly accusing him of betraying the party.