Maharashtra politics remains in a flux, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to be on the ascent, as trends from the recent civic body elections suggest. Uddhav Thackeray and estranged cousin Raj Thackeray joined hands after many years to reclaim the family’s prominence in Mumbai and in Nashik. Uddhav Thackeray had been in control of the BMC for 25 years. The composition of the State’s population is changing with migration, weakening the Sena’s nativist politics. All factions of the Sena are trying to adapt to this changed reality, but its past restricts its manoeuvrability.

Source: The Hindu January 19, 2026 22:34 UTC