Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray strongly criticized the BJP-led Mahayuti ruling alliance on Monday, after heavy rains led to widespread waterlogging across Mumbai.

“Under the corrupt BJP-led alliance government, Mumbai was submerged after just the first spell of rain. The sewer of corruption of the state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is now flowing through the streets. After only one rain, Mumbaikars are distraught, and the city’s roads have turned into ponds. Waterlogging has occurred at numerous locations—on roads and even railway tracks. A single downpour has exposed the corrupt practices of the BJP, the Shinde Sena, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Their misgovernance is so evident that they may have to seek votes door-to-door using boats in the upcoming civic and municipal elections. Mumbaikars will not forgive this corrupt gang that is looting the city,” Sapkal tweeted on his X account.

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Sapkal noted that rainwater had accumulated at Matunga and Masjid Bunder railway stations on the central suburban line. “At Masjid Bunder station, the water level has almost reached the platform height, posing a serious threat of service disruption. Currently, trains on the Central and Harbour lines are delayed by about 25 minutes. This is causing inconvenience to office-goers. In addition, heavy rainfall has triggered massive traffic jams on the Western Express Highway, the Eastern Express Highway, and on LBS Road in Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, and Sion,” he said.

Aaditya Thackeray also slammed the BJP-led Mahayuti government. “The apathy of the BJP government is responsible for Mumbai’s current plight. The city is at a standstill today due to the sheer negligence and inaction of the BJP, which has controlled the BMC for the past three years. Areas that never saw waterlogging before are now inundated. In 2021–22, under the Uddhav Thackeray-led government, we had made the Hindmata area waterlogging-free. But this year, water has returned because the municipal corporation failed to activate the pumping system on time,” Aaditya posted on X.

“After last week’s pre-monsoon showers, waterlogging was seen in the Andheri subway and Sakinaka areas. Now, similar issues are surfacing across several parts of the city. The BJP’s inaction is directly affecting Mumbaikars. Why does the BJP show such disregard for Mumbai? Due to incomplete road works and the failure to clean drains, water is accumulating in places that have never experienced flooding before. Mumbai is suffering due to the BJP’s indifference,” he added.

However, BJP leader and Minister of Water Resources and Disaster Management, Girish Mahajan, a close aide of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, defended the government. “Traffic hasn’t completely stopped anywhere in Mumbai—only in some pockets. Such disruptions are inevitable with record rainfall in just a few hours. The Thackeray-led government controlled Mumbai for years. What did they achieve? People suffered then too—lives were lost, cars swept away. We have seen all that. Now, instead of playing blame games, we should focus on providing relief and finding solutions,” he said.

When specifically asked to respond to Aaditya Thackeray’s allegation about waterlogging at Hindmata, Mahajan remarked, “This is not about success or failure. This is a natural disaster. Let’s not reduce this to street-level water fights. We can also make ten counter-allegations.”

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited flood-affected villages in Baramati taluka on Monday, where rain-triggered flooding has damaged crops.

“Today, I inspected the damaged canal in Kanheri, Katewadi. I met farmers and villagers from Kanheri, Pimpli, Katewadi, and Dhekalwadi to understand their problems. I have given clear instructions to officials to assess the damage,” Pawar shared in a tweet, along with photos from his inspection.

In response to the heavy rains in multiple districts, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who arrived in Baramati at midnight on Sunday, visited various villages in Baramati and Indapur talukas of Pune district throughout Monday. He was accompanied by State Minority Development and Sports & Youth Welfare Minister Datta Mama Bharne, newly elected director of Chhatrapati Cooperative Sugar Factory Prithviraj Jachak, District Collector Jitendra Dudi, and other local leaders, sarpanches, officials, and citizens.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai Director Shubhangi Bhute confirmed the unusual early onset of the monsoon: “For the first time in history, the monsoon has entered Mumbai as early as May 26. This is the earliest recorded onset for the city. South Mumbai recorded the highest rainfall, with Colaba receiving 135 mm. An orange alert has been issued due to prevailing weather conditions.”