The cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was controlled by the undivided Shiv Sena for 25 years from 1997 to 2022.In 2017, the Shiv Sena and the BJP were involved a close fight and won 84 and 82 seats, respectively.In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party won four of the six seats in Mumbai, though a closer look revealed it did not do well in seats with its traditional voter base.In assembly segments like Worli, held by Aaditya Thackeray, it had leads of less than 7,000.The ruling BJP accused the Shiv Sena (UBT) of winning with the help of minority votes.The Uddhav Thackeray-led party’s ambiguous stand on Uniform Civil Code and Waqf Board Amendment Bill gave the BJP further ammunition to attack its former ally.In the assembly polls, results of which were declared on November 23, victories in just 10 of the 24 constituencies it contested in Mumbai was another sign of its waning voter base, especially among core supporters.Moreover, the victory margin in three constituencies (Jogeshwari East, Versova and Mahim) was lower than 2000 votes, while it was less than 10000 in Worli, Shivadi, Kalina and Dindoshi.Only victories in Vikhroli, Byculla and Vandre East were with margins of more than 10,000.
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