The Sena (UBT)'s strongest showing is in central and inner Mumbai, areas that historically formed the backbone of Sena politics. (Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election results show the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has retained a majority of the civic wards won by the undivided party in 2017, while the Eknath Shinde-led Sena has secured a much smaller share of that legacy base.
Of the 84 wards won by the united Shiv Sena in 2017, 48 are now with the Shiv Sena (UBT), 18 with the Shinde-led Sena and nine with the BJP, with the remaining seats split between the MNS and smaller parties. The numbers indicate that the Uddhav faction has held on to more than half of the old Sena’s civic base, even though it will not control the BMC.
The Sena (UBT)’s strongest showing is in central and inner Mumbai, areas that historically formed the backbone of Sena politics. In Worli, Mahim, Sewri, Dharavi, Byculla and Bandra East, the undivided Sena had won 23 wards in 2017. Of these, 21 are now with the Sena (UBT), with the remaining two going to the MNS and the NCP.
In several of these wards, Sena (UBT) candidates polled higher votes than the united Sena did in 2017, despite the party split. For instance, the vote count in Mahim ward 182 rose from 6.899 in 2017 to 14,248 in 2026, in Worli ward 195 from 10.811 to 15,562, and in Bandra East ward 87 from 7,250 to 11,588.
This rise is being linked to the Sena (UBT) and MNS understanding, particularly in Marathi-dominated neigh bourhoods where the MNS has traditionally polled strongly All five Worli wards once held by the undivided Sena have gone to the Sena (UBT). A similar pattern is visible in Mahim and Sewri, Including areas around Shivaji Park, long regarded as the ideological centre of the Sena. In Dharavi, three of the four wards held by the undivided Sena in 2017 are now with the Sena (UBT).
A similar trend is visible in parts of the eastern and western suburbs. In Jogeshwari East, all four wards won by the undivided Sena in 2017 are now with the Sena UBT, with vote shares rising in each. In Bhandup West, three of the four former Sena wards went to the Sena UBT and one to the MNS. In Ghatkopar West, one ward went to the Sena UBT and one to the MNS, while in Dindoshi, two shifted to the Sena UBT and one to the MNS.
The Shinde-led Sena won 18 of the 84 wards earlier held by the undivided party, with vic- tories scattered across Maga- thane, Anushakti Nagar, Wa dala. Kalina and parts of the eastern suburbs. Notably, it failed to win a single ward in Worli, Mahim, Sewrl or Dharavi areas central to the Sen’s poli The BJP emerge as the single lar largest party overall, but its gains were concentrated in specific areas such as Dahisar, Magathane, Borivali, Charkop, Kandivali and parts of Mulund and Ghatkopar Several of these wards had been won narrowly by the undivided Sena in 2017 and saw higher BJP vote totals in 2026. However, the BJP did not win a single seat in central and inner Mumbai from the wards earlier held by the Sena.
Curated by Shiv Shakti Mishra
