Mumbai, Jan 5 As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections draw closer, the political temperature in Maharashtra is steadily rising, as parties across the spectrum are increasingly foregrounding Marathi identity as a central theme of their campaign.
Adding to the chorus for 'Marathi mayor in Mumbai', Shiv Sena articulated its position further, asserting that the person who occupies Mayor's office must be someone who "truly loves" Mumbai and can "proudly say Vande Mataram".
The remark comes amid the broader national debate and political divide surrounding the national song Vande Mataram.
Speaking to IANS, Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC said, "Mumbai's mayor should be someone who truly loves Mumbai, wants its progress, and proudly says 'Vande Mataram'."
The political churn intensified after senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Chairman of the Mumbai Regional NCP Election Management Committee, Nawab Malik, claimed that his party was poised to clinch the Mayor's post in Mumbai.
The NCP, led by Malik, is not contesting the civic polls as part of the MahaYuti alliance. Addressing a press conference, Malik drew a comparison with national developments and said, "If a party with a single seat can lead a government in Jharkhand, the NCP can certainly secure the Mayor's post in Mumbai with 30 seats."
Reacting sharply to Malik's assertion, Shaina NC said, "There has been a lot of discussion about the mayoral post. We want to assure people that under the leadership of the MahaYuti, a Marathi person who works for Mumbai's development, will take responsibility. Those who hold Pakistani flags in their hands and campaign for the bomb blast accused will keep doing their politics of appeasement. We will proudly say Jai Hindi, Jai Maharashtra, Vande Mataram."
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also recalibrated its electoral pitch. In a notable shift from its long-standing emphasis on development plank, the BJP announced that if the MahaYuti alliance comes to power, Mumbai will have a Marathi mayor.
The evolving political narrative has also seen estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray attempting to capitalise on the prevailing mood.
The two leaders announced that they were coming together in the interest of the Marathi manoos, declaring an alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the upcoming BMC elections and other civic body polls across the state.
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey had also asserted that their party's "Marathi-speaking Hindu" will occupy the Mayor's office.
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