Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said that hopefully somebody from his party might get to be the Mayor of Mumbai, in a surprising and suggestive statement, while addressing his corporators who managed to win on Saturday, despite the Shiv Sena-MNS alliance winning only 71 wards, out of a total 227 wards in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
The Uddhav led Shiv Sena won 67 wards in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, while his alliance partner Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by his cousin Raj Thackeray won 6 wards, which is considered a setback. The Eknath Shinde-led Sena won 28 seats, the Congress won 24 wards, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP won 3 wards and other parties won 10 seats.
“The BJP may think that they have finished Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena on paper. However, they cannot finish Shiv Sena on the ground. The BJP is a party which remains only on paper. It is not a party that remains on the ground. BJP wants to mortgage Mumbai, and it won polls through betrayal. Marathi maanoos (people) will forgive this sin. Betrayers can be bought through money, pressure, agencies and tactics, but loyalty is never for sale. Our responsibility has increased further. It is our dream to see our man as the Mayor of Mumbai. Let’s see, if God has it in his heart, that too will happen,” Uddhav Thackeray said while interacting with media persons after he addressed his winning corporators.
Addressing his victorious corporators earlier, Uddhav Thackeray said, “We have a dream that our man must become the Mayor of Mumbai. Let’s see, if it is God’s Will, even that will happen. We have won a decent number of wards despite the BJP doing its best to wipe us out of existence. They split our party. They took away our name and symbol. Despite all this, we have fought and won”.
Meanwhile, his cousin and founder of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray also issued his first statement after municipal election results were announced on Saturday and congratulated the MNS corporators who won 6 out of the 53 wards from where his party contested.
“With love, Jai Maharashtra. First and foremost, heartfelt congratulations to all the elected corporators of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena. This election was not an easy one. It was a battle of tremendous money power and the power of authority against Shivshakti. Yet even in such a fight, the workers of both parties gave an excellent battle. Praising them can never be enough,” Raj Thackeray tweeted on X.
“It is indeed saddening that the MNS could not achieve the expected success this time, but that does not mean we are the kind to lose heart and give up. Corporators who have been elected will more than hold their own against the ruling parties on the ground. And if anything is seen to be happening against the Marathi maanoos (people), they will surely bring those in power to their knees,” Raj Thackeray said.
“Our fight is for the Marathi maanoos, for the Marathi language, for Marathi identity and for a prosperous Maharashtra. This fight itself is our very existence. All of you are well aware that such struggles are long-term in nature. Whatever went wrong, whatever was left undone, wherever we fell short and whatever needs to be done, we will all together analyse it and take action,” Raj Thackeray told his supporters.
“Actually, there is no need to even tell you this, but let me still say it–whether in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) region or across the entire state of Maharashtra, the ruling parties and those who have gone with them will never leave a single opportunity to harass and exploit the Marathi maanoos. Therefore, we must stand firmly behind our Marathi maanoos.”
“Elections will come and go, but we must never forget that our very breath itself is Marathi. See you soon. Let us get back to work once again. Let us rebuild our party and organisation afresh Your humble, Raj Thackeray”.