Raj Thackeray's MNS to join Mahayuti for local municipal body elections? Here's what CM Fadnavis said

Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has hinted at the possibility that Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena would join the ruling Mahayuti coalition in the state for the upcoming local municipal body elections.

In an interview with DD Sahyadri, Fadnavis said, "Raj Thackeray's and our ideologies match. We will try to accommodate his party in local body elections wherever possible."

The MNS chief supported the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but contested alone in the state assembly elections held in November. It failed to secure even one seat.

After Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister, alongside his two deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar on December 5, Thackeray reiterated that his party would support any positive initiative taken by the government in the next five years.

In a post on X, Thackeray extended good wishes to his "friend" Devendra Fadnavis. He said Fadnavis should have had the opportunity in 2019 and 2022.

In 2019 (post-assembly polls) and 2022 (after the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government), Fadnavis could not become the chief minister despite the BJP having the highest number of seats.

"This time, the people have given an unbelievable mandate to the Mahayuti, more so to the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis. I hope this is rightly used for the state, the Marathi people, the language and culture," Thackeray said.

In the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP secured 132 of the 288 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41. The opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, Congress 16, and NCP-SP 10.

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