Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a fierce attack on Uddhav and Raj Thackeray at a campaign rally in Shivaji Park, declaring the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election a fight for the cousins’ political survival rather than any threat to Marathi identity.
He stressed that Mumbai remains an indivisible part of Maharashtra and accused the Thackerays of exploiting linguistic sentiments for electoral gain. The event marked the penultimate day of campaigning for the Mahayuti alliance comprising BJP and Shiv Sena.
In a dramatic move, Fadnavis instructed organizers to screen archival video clips of the Thackeray cousins harshly criticizing each other before their 2005 split and 20-year estrangement. The footage, now juxtaposed against their recent pre-poll alliance, served to highlight perceived hypocrisy. Fadnavis remarked that the videos spoke for themselves, requiring no additional commentary from him to expose the opportunistic nature of their unity.
Countering Raj Thackeray’s claim that the BMC poll represented the final battle for Marathi people, Fadnavis asserted that the real stakes concerned the cousins’ own political relevance. He criticized the undivided Shiv Sena’s long tenure in the BMC, questioning its achievements for Marathi speakers despite controlling India’s richest civic body with a budget exceeding Rs 74,000 crore. Fadnavis pledged to deliver transparent governance and install a Mahayuti mayor if victorious.
Fadnavis revisited controversial decisions under the previous MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray, including the introduction of compulsory Hindi education and the cancellation of the Dharavi redevelopment tender. He defended the current administration’s allocation of the Dharavi project to a state-Adani consortium and clarified that Marathi remains the only compulsory language in Maharashtra under the three-language policy. He also highlighted infrastructure successes like the recent Navi Mumbai International Airport and promised further airport expansions.
The Chief Minister challenged Uddhav Thackeray to arrange a public debate between Aaditya Thackeray and Mahayuti candidate Sheetal Gambhir on the final campaign day. He mocked Aaditya Thackeray’s alleged imitation of him and predicted the Mahayuti flag would soon fly over the BMC headquarters. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale attended the rally, reinforcing the coalition’s strength ahead of Thursday’s crucial voting.