Mumbai Mayoral Race Intensifies Amid Shiv Sena's Internal Strife

Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) claims many new corporators oppose a BJP mayor in Mumbai. Eknath Shinde houses 29 Shiv Sena corporators in a luxury hotel for a workshop. Tensions rise as alliance dynamics with the BJP provoke internal strife ahead of mayoral selection.

The political climate in Mumbai is charged as the mayoral race intensifies following the BMC elections. Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, voiced claims on Sunday that several newly elected Shiv Sena corporators, with original ties to the Bal Thackeray-founded party, oppose the election of a BJP mayor.

In a strategic move, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who leads the Shiv Sena, has relocated 29 of the party's corporators to a luxury hotel in Mumbai. This gathering serves as a three-day workshop in which Shinde intends to instruct them regarding the operations of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The maneuver has sparked speculation over potential defections and alliances, with UBT's Raut suggesting that internal communications persist despite the hotel stay, and even hinting at opposing the BJP's influence in the council. Tensions simmer as the coalition dynamics unfold in the lead-up to selecting a mayor.

(With inputs from agencies.)