Uddhav vs Shinde: What BMC results say about battle for Bal Thackeray’s legacy

• Uddhav's Sena (UBT) wins more BMC wards than Shinde's faction in Mumbai polls
• Shinde's Sena part of winning alliance, but Uddhav's faction emerges stronger
• No clear winner in battle for Shiv Sena legacy after BMC election results

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Ever since Eknath Shinde raised the banner of revolt and caused a split down the middle in Shiv Sena, there has been a constant debate in Maharashtra over who is the real claimant to Bal Thackeray’s legacy. Almost four years have passed and the question remains unanswered.

The BMC elections for Mumbai’s prestigious and cash-rich civic body were expected to bring greater clarity on the political legitimacy of the two Shiv Sena factions: the Eknath Shinde-led camp, which contests under the original poll symbol, and the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction headed by Bal Thackeray’s son.

Interestingly, the poll results have only muddled the political debate further.

As per available trends, Shinde's Sena is on course to win 27 wards while Uddhav's Sena (UBT) is likely to end up with 62 wards. While Shinde's Sena is part of the winning alliance due to BJP's dominant performance, it is the Uddhav faction that will emerge as the stronger of the two Senas — at least in this election.

In terms of strike rate too, Shiv Sena (UBT) [38.7%] has fared better than Shinde Sena [31.4%].

In fact, ever since the split in 2022, both the parties have been playing a game of one-upmanship in every election in Maharashtra. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Uddhav's Sena emerged as the more dominant faction as it won 9 seats compared to Shinde's 7. However, Shinde flipped the script just a few months later in the state assembly polls after winning 57 seats compared to Uddhav's 20.

Why BMC prestige matters

The performance of both the Sena factions was being closely watched in the Mumbai civic polls due to the historical dominance of the undivided Shiv Sena in the municipal body.

The Sena under Bal Thackeray stormed to power in BMC in 1997, riding the strong Maratha Manoos poll plank which defined the party’s rise across Maharashtra.

The undivided Shiv Sena went on to win every subsequent BMC election until 2017, retaining an iron grip over India's richest civic body.

Thus, the 2026 election was seen as a litmus test for both the factions since it was the first since the vertical split. However, the Mumbai voters did not give a clear stamp of approval to either of the two factions. While Uddhav's Sena (UBT) has emerged slightly ahead of Shinde's faction, the result does not indicate a decisive shift in voter loyalties. If anything, it signals that the battle over the “real Shiv Sena” tag — at least in the court of public perception — is far from settled.