The eyes of political pundits may well be glued on Maharashtra’s municipal elections in the new year, especially those in Mumbai and Pune. Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have joined hands to contest the plum prize of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, has announced an alliance with the faction of the Nationalist Con­g­ress Party led by his uncle, Sharad Pawar, for the elections to the Pimpri-Chinchiwad Municipal Corporation. Since uniting with Raj Thackeray, a shrill tone has been discernible in Uddhav Thackeray, who had tried — and failed — to resurrect himself as a liberal face during his days as chief minister. So the Opposition, the Maha Vikas Aghadi, including the Congress, has no reason to be enthused by Maharashtra’s political clans uniting.

Source: The Telegraph December 30, 2025 02:39 UTC