Breaking the nearly three-decade-old dominance of the undivided Shiv Sena, the BJP on Friday emerged as the single largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the voters for the emphatic victory of the BJP and allies in the civic polls. Coupled with a decent performance by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the BJP is now in the driver's seat to govern the cash-rich Mumbai civic body. The division between Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, Congress, and NCP (SP) prevented effective vote consolidation, especially in middle-class and Marathi-speaking pockets where anti-BJP votes got split. 4- The Shifting of Narrative For years, the BMC was considered the invincible fortress of the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

Source: Mint January 17, 2026 05:24 UTC