With 246 municipal councils and 42 municipal panchayats across Maharashtra headed to voting on December 2, these elections have thrown up unusual alliances that have caught many by surprise.
Since the Shiv Sena split in 2022, the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) took on each other in various electoral contests, including the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections held last year.
But in several contests in the upcoming local body elections in the state, the two Senas have entered an alliance – a development that stands in sharp contrast to the bitter rivalry between the parties.
While senior leaders from both camps maintain that these are “purely local adjustments”, their tie-ups in some civic body polls have triggered a row.
When he split the Sena in June 2022, Shinde justified his move by stating that his rebellion stemmed from Uddhav’s “unnatural” or “ideologically incompatible” partnerships with the Congress and the then undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which he said went against the “core principles” of Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.
Yet, in the current elections to multiple local bodies, the Shinde Sena has not only allied with the Uddhav Sena, but also with the Congress as well as both factions of the NCP – the Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Sharad Pawar-headed NCP(SP) – especially in areas where these parties fear losing space to the BJP or some local outfits or fronts. While the ruling Mahayuti comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) includes the Sena (UBT), NCP(SP) and Congress.
Sources in the Sena (UBT), however, claim that Uddhav was “personally unhappy” over any joint strategy with the Shinde Sena, given the history of political and legal battles between the two Senas. However, the Sena (UBT)’s local leaders have pressed ahead, arguing that the immediate priority was “stopping the BJP” or some strong independent panels in highly competitive municipal races.
A Sena (UBT) functionary said, “There is no question of any understanding between the two Senas at the state level, but local units sometimes make decisions based on ground arithmetic.”
Shinde Sena leaders echoed the same sentiments, describing the tie-ups as “area-specific arrangements borne out of local compulsions”, and not a signalling of a larger political shift.
Sena factions together
In the municipal council polls for Chakan in Pune district, the Shinde Sena’s candidate Manisha Suresh Gore filed her nomination for the mayoral post, accompanied by her party MLA Sharad Sonwane as well as Sena (UBT) MLA Babaji Kale.
Later, Kale, however, emphasised that this should not be seen as a formal alliance. “This support is only for Chakan and is meant as a tribute to the late (former MLA) Suresh Gore,” he said.
In Sindhudurg district’s Kankavli municipal council polls, the Shinde Sena and Sena (UBT) have joined hands to form the Shahar Vikas Aghadi under the leadership of Sena (UBT)’s Sandesh Parkar, who is running for the president’s post.
In Chakan and Kankavli, the Sena factions are hoping to directly challenge the BJP’s influence.
Shinde Sena with Congress
In the municipal council polls for Dharashiv district’s Omerga and Jalgaon’s Chopda, the Shinde Sena has tied up with the Congress.
In Omerga, former Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad is leading a local alliance with the Congress. Gaikwad is up against the BJP’s Harshwardhan Chalukya for the president’s post.
In Chopda, Shinde Sena MLA Chandrakant Sonawane, who is running for president’s post, has opted to team up with Congress after accusing the BJP of withdrawing its support.
The poll campaign has already seen posters of Shinde Sena leaders along with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi besides the NCP(SP) leaders.
Shinde Sena with NCP factions
In Nashik district’s Yeola municipal council, Shinde Sena’s Rupesh Darade has joined hands with the NCP(SP)’s Manikrao Shinde to put up a joint front against the BJP-NCP combine.
In a handful of Raigad district’s municipal council contests, however, the Shinde Sena and the NCP have come together.
In Palghar district’s Dahanu municipal council polls, the Shinde Sena has allied with both NCP factions to form a three-member anti-BJP coalition.
NCP with NCP(SP)
Besides having a reunion for the Dahanu local body polls, the two rival NCP factions have come together in Kolhapur district’s Kagal, where the fight is against the Shinde Sena with local political circles attributing the unlikely partnership to the district’s shifting caste dynamics and long-standing local rivalries.
Alliance against Shinde Sena
In several local body polls, various parties have joined hands to push back against the Shinde Sena’s dominance.
In Kolhapur district’s Jaysingpur municipal council election, a broad anti-Sena alliance has emerged with the BJP, Congress and the farm-centred Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) aligning against the Rajarshi Shahu Aghadi led by Shinde Sena-backed strongman Rajendra Patil Yadravkar.
In the Nashik district’s Bhagur municipal council, several parties – the BJP, NCP, NCP(SP), Sena (UBT), Congress and Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) – have come together to take on the Sena’s candidate for the president’s post, Anita Vijay Karanjkar, in its stronghold.
Impact of ‘unusual’ alliances
Political analysts say these local-level coalitions may influence the upcoming municipal corporation elections, including for the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), as parties test voter reactions to various combinations.
Amid these unlikely local body tie-ups, the broader picture features direct contests between the BJP and the Shinde Sena in dozens of towns, particularly in western Maharashtra, Marathwada and parts of Vidarbha, which are fuelling tensions within the ruling Mahayuti.
BJP leaders argue that the party’s own organisational strength must be retained and that “friendly fights” are “unavoidable” in the local body polls, which are dominated by factors like caste groupings, cooperative politics and local loyalties.
Shinde Sena’s stance
According to senior Shiv Sena functionaries, the party is contesting “in a majority of places as part of the Mahayuti”, but has allowed its district units “limited autonomy” wherever the local political landscape demands it. “These are grassroots polls. Workers must get a say. Their decisions are temporary and limited to the election,” a Sena leader said.
The Shinde Sena camp also argues that local alliances have historically varied depending on the caste blocs, local leaders, and legacy rivalries.
Still, the party leadership insists that the local body poll results would be reflective of the Mahayuti’s state-wide mandate. “Regardless of local combinations, the chairperson, whether a mayor or nagar adhyaksha, should come from the Mahayuti,” the party told its cadre in an internal message.