BJP-Shiv Sena-Mahayuti alliance won the BMC election that was held on January 15, 2026, giving a major blow to the Shiv Sena UBT and MNS . After this win who will be mayor of the city is a big question. Amid this their is discussion that mayor will be from BJP. Responding to this, Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader Sanjay Raut said that BJP does not have a complete mandate and Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena winning candidate kept in hotel as prisoners.
While speaking to media in Mumbai, Sanjay Raut said, "Narendra Modi wants BJP's Mayor, but he did not explain how. The BJP does not have a complete mandate. Shinde Sena’s winning candidates are being kept in the Taj Lands End Hotel." Sanjay Raut stated Despite having the government at the Centre and a strong CM Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra, these corporators remain locked up candidates almost like prisoners. The hotel has turned into a jail.
He further added, "Everyone has decided that a BJP mayor should not be allowed. Let's see what happens next. Among the corporators, there are many new faces. They are Shiv Sainiks, and they do not want a BJP mayor. No matter how much they are kept confined, there are many means of communication today; the message can reach somewhere or the other. If it is God's will, a Shiv Sena mayor can be elected... I will tell you a historical truth--no matter how large the majority, it is fickle; it keeps shifting..."
Sanjay Raut accused Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of being a BJP "puppet"
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut accused Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of being a BJP "puppet," doubting he'd accept a mayor from Amit Shah's party. Raut also dismissed Davos WEF investment announcements as rarely materializing, especially during elections. He asserted the mayor should be from the original Shiv Sena, not the "duplicate," and criticized the alleged confinement of 29 corporators. Raut claimed Eknath Shinde, despite his "Bhai" moniker, is holding the corporators, thus strangling Marathi pride and handing Mumbai to the BJP. He insisted on a Shiv Sena mayor for Balasaheb's birth centenary.
On the vote division due to Congress, Raut expressed confidence that the party would align with Shiv Sena (UBT) in the future. Calling Congress a "national party," he said, "Congress is a national party; it takes independent decisions. This benefited the BJP, but Congress will be with us in the future. Congratulations to them, they got seats. They have strength in Mumbai. Their seats are with us--for the fight against the BJP," he added. (ANI)