Mumbai: As Mumbai gears up for the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on January 15, 2026, the city is witnessing a historic realignment. For the first time, the ‘Thackeray’ brand has seen a reconciliation, with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s MNS forming a strategic alliance to secure the Marathi Manoos vote bank.

Opposing them is the formidable Mahayuti combine, where Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, backed by the BJP, aims to prove that the ‘real’ Sena is the one delivering development. With the Marathi identity at the centre of the campaign, here are 10 key battleground wards where the Sena-vs-Sena conflict might determine who truly holds the key to the Marathi heartland.

Often called the ‘centre’ of Sena politics, this is Aaditya Thackeray’s home turf. The split here is personal; while UBT retains stalwarts like Kishori Pednekar, the Shinde faction has poached sitting former corporators like Samadhan Sarvankar. It is a prestige battle for the Thackeray legacy.

Dadar is the birthplace of the Shiv Sena. With the Sena UBT-MNS alliance, the Thackeray cousins are aiming to consolidate the traditional Marathi votes in areas like Shivaji Park. Shinde’s Sena is countering this with a heavy focus on local redevelopment promises.

The heart of the former mill land, this ward is the quintessential Marathi bastion. Historically loyal to the ‘Bow and Arrow,’ the voters here are now torn between the emotional appeal of Matoshree and the administrative power of the current Deputy Chief Minister.

A massive suburban Marathi stronghold where the Sena has never lost its grip. This ward will test whether the ground-level Shakha workers stayed with Uddhav or migrated to Shinde for better resources.

In the northern tip of the city, Dahisar’s Marathi population has traditionally balanced the scales. It is a high-intensity zone where the Shinde faction has made significant inroads through infrastructure projects recently.

A mix of middle-class housing and slums, this ward saw a glimpse of the rivalry during the 2022 polls. It remains a litmus test for the MVA-MNS combine’s ability to hold the Marathi-speaking labour class.

Chembur has a dense Marathi-speaking pocket that has consistently sent Sena corporators to the BMC. The battle here is over who can claim the heritage of Balasaheb Thackeray more convincingly.

While Ghatkopar has a large Gujarati population, the Marathi areas in Pant Nagar are decisive. The Shinde faction is leaning on its alliance with the BJP here to squeeze the UBT-MNS combine.

Directly adjacent to Matoshree, this ward is a matter of survival for the Sena UBT. Any loss here would be a major blow to the Thackeray family’s local influence.

Though often viewed as a BJP fortress, the Marathi areas in Mulund are the ‘swing’ voters. The Sena UBT-MNS alliance is betting big on these voters to disrupt the Mahayuti’s dominance.

As the campaign enters its final stretch, the narrative is clear: Eknath Shinde is campaigning on Double-Engine development, while the Thackeray alliance is invoking the spirit of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement and Marathi Asmita (pride). On January 16, Mumbai will finally know who the Marathi Manoos has chosen as their true guardian.

Mumbai: Abu Asim Azmi, a Samajwadi Party leader and MLA from Maharashtra, while commenting on the statement of state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said, “Does Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis even know the meaning of jihad?” If issues like Hindu-Muslim, temple-mosque are removed from BJP, will it be able to contest elections? If I contest elections from their constituency, I may lose, but if the people they are oppressing do not vote for them, it will be called “vote jihad”. And I do not believe that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam or any other reputable Muslim organization has ever supported those who spread hatred in the name of mosque or language, while the hate agenda of BJP creates division between Hindus and Muslims so that there is chaos in votes and BJP wins elections on the basis of caste. Muslims have never spread hate messages, but when a Muslim does not vote for such a extremist leader, it is attributed to vote jihad. Jihad is a sacred word, its term is being presented incorrectly. The term jihad is struggle and sacrificing for a good cause and country is jihad, but the communalists and the crits Soumya and Nitish Rane, including BJP leaders, have changed the definition of jihad, which is completely wrong. It is wrong and this kind of statement reveals their hostility towards Muslims. If despite this, if someone does not vote for them, they say that voting is jihad. If you work on a hateful agenda, who will vote for you?

In an effort to crack down on the illicit financial flow of the Mumbai drug network, the competent authority and the office of the Administrator, Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act and NDPS Act have confirmed the freezing order issued by NCB Mumbai covering movable and immovable properties of the drug kingpin, GSD involved in multiple types of drugs. The value of the other frozen properties is ₹ 41,64,701/-.

On 27th January 2021, based on specific intelligence, the Narcotics Control Bureau, Mumbai Zonal Unit had arrested three accused in Belapur and Nerul area, Navi Mumbai and seized various types of drugs like cocaine, commercial quantity of LSD and Ganja. Prohibited items were being sold in Belapur and Nerul area of ​​Navi Mumbai. Subsequent investigation identified accused and kingpin Naveen Gurunath Chachakar of CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra as the kingpin running an international and inter-state drug syndicate.

An intensive financial investigation was conducted to trace the assets acquired from the illegal sale of drugs. The investigation led to the identification of a bank account in Citibank and a luxury vehicle Mini Cooper, which were frozen in November 2025, with a total value of ₹41,64,701/-, which was confirmed by the competent authority in December 2025.

The main accused, Naveen Chachakar, is a habitual offender and a notorious drug smuggler in Belapur and Nerul area of ​​Navi Mumbai. He has five NDPS cases registered against him – three by NCB Mumbai, one by Nerul PS and one by Customs. NCB Mumbai has arrested him after a long process of tracing and continuous efforts. They are currently in judicial custody in the above cases.

The NCB has appealed to the citizens to join the fight against drug trafficking. Information related to drug sale or trafficking can be shared anonymously on the MANAS National Narcotics Helpline (Toll Free) 1933.