Matoshree, the family house of the Thackerays in Bandra East’s Kalanagar, has been the seat of power in Mumbai although the family preferred to play kingmaker rather than be anointed.
Since the – then undivided – Shiv Sena and the BJP joined forces in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the Thackerays have been on the ruling side in local bodies, at the state or the Centre.
Things have changed since the party split in 2022 and the Sena-led by Uddhav Thackeray has been on a downward slide.
After the recently concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, Uddhav Thackeray does not get to be the king, nor the kingmaker.
With 65 corporators in the 227-member BMC, Uddhav’s sainiks will have to be in the Opposition benches; whereas at least one among those who sided with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde could get to be the Mumbai mayor for two-and-a-half years.
The formula is yet to be finalised, though the BJP brass is well aware that without Shinde’s men the party cannot cross the magic figure of 114.
“Narendra Modi wants a BJP mayor, but he has not explained how,” said Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP and editor of the Sena’s newspaper, Saamna.
“The BJP does not have a clear mandate. Shinde Sena’s winning candidates have been kept in the Taj Land’s End, like prisoners. Despite being in power in the Centre and the state, the corporators had to be locked up. What are they so afraid of?”
Sources said on Tuesday the elected nominees will appear before the Konkan divisional commissioner and officially announce themselves as members of the BMC elected on Shiv Sena – the Shinde faction has the name of the party built by the Thackerays – tickets.
But finding kindred souls in the Shinde camp is easier said than done for Uddhav. In the Opposition, the Thackerays have nothing to offer.
“The biggest worry for the Thackerays right now is that they are not in power anywhere,” said a Mumbai-based political observer. “How will they keep the flock together? After the civic polls were held last, they were in power in 12 of the 29 municipal corporations. Their power is much reduced now. They have neither money nor patronage to offer.”
While talking to his party leaders on Sunday, Uddhav had said he had a dream of seeing a Sainik from his camp as the mayor of Mumbai.
Since 1971 onwards Shiv Sena has had 23 mayors in the richest civic body in the country.
Unlike in Calcutta, where the voters directly elect from the mayoral candidates, in the 227-member BMC the mayor is elected by the corporators.
The BJP and the Shinde-led Sena have the support of 118 elected representatives, dangerously close to the magic figure of 114.
Shinde’s flock could face danger from the BJP as well.
The Thackeray faction’s best hopes are a return to home for some of those who split the party and chose Shinde in 2022.
“Those who have abandoned the party once can do it again,” Uddhav told the gathering at Matoshree on Sunday.
Raut has claimed some of the corporators are in touch with Uddhav Thackeray to avoid BJP bagging the mayor’s seat.