'Will lose control over Mumbai, BMC last crucial election': MNS chief Raj Thackeray

Raj Thackeray speaking at Konkan Festival

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has turned the spotlight sharply onto the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, portraying the civic contest as a make-or-break moment for Mumbai’s Marathi population.

Speaking at the inauguration of the party’s Konkan Mahotsav in Mumbai on Sunday, he urged supporters to stay “vigilant” and claimed that the political atmosphere around the polls had grown increasingly charged.

During his address, Thackeray warned that the stakes for Marathi voters were unprecedented. “For the Marathi people, this BMC election will be the last crucial election,” he declared, cautioning that “if we remain careless, consider it gone from our hands.”

He also asserted that “if Mumbai slips out of our hands, these people will create havoc,” framing the forthcoming vote as a decisive struggle for influence in the city.

In a post shared by the party’s official handle, he was quoted in Marathi as saying: “रात्र वैऱ्याची आहे… गाफील राहू नका.. आजूबाजूला लक्ष ठेवा… मुंबईवर ताबा मिळवण्यासाठी डाव सुरु आहेत, त्यामुळे तुम्ही सावध रहा. आपल्या आजूबाजूला कोण मतदार खरे आहेत, कोण खोटे आहेत याकडे बारीक लक्ष ठेवा. मराठी माणसासाठी ही मुंबई महापालिकेची निवडणूक शेवटची असेल. ही निवडणूक जर…”

The translated version posted with it read: “The night is of the merchant... Do not be careless.. Keep an eye on your surroundings... Moves are underway to gain control over Mumbai, so you stay alert. Pay close attention to who the genuine voters are around you and who the fake ones are. This Mumbai Municipal Corporation election will be the last one for the Marathi people. If this election slips from our hands, Mumbai will slip from the hands of the Marathi people.”

" रात्र वैऱ्याची आहे... गाफील राहू नका.. आजूबाजूला लक्ष ठेवा... मुंबईवर ताबा मिळवण्यासाठी डाव सुरु आहेत, त्यामुळे तुम्ही सावध रहा. आपल्या आजूबाजूला कोण मतदार खरे आहेत, कोण खोटे आहेत याकडे बारीक लक्ष ठेवा. मराठी माणसासाठी ही मुंबई महापालिकेची निवडणूक शेवटची असेल. ही निवडणूक जर… pic.twitter.com/77tczztlHu

— MNS Adhikrut - मनसे अधिकृत (@mnsadhikrut) November 23, 2025

Alongside the warnings, he raised concerns about alleged discrepancies in voter rolls, insisting that people “pay attention to whether the voters are genuine or bogus.”

His sharper tone marks a notable shift from the months following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when he extended unconditional backing to the Mahayuti alliance. The MNS’s poor performance in the subsequent state polls, however, appears to have altered his political posture.

Amid these shifts, the growing warmth between Raj Thackeray and his cousin, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, has become a prominent topic across Maharashtra.

Formerly at odds, the two have lately seemed aligned not just at family events but also in political messaging.

Voting on December 2 will take place through EVMs to elect 6,859 members and 288 presidents across 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats, with counting scheduled for December 3.