Maharashtra civic elections-2026: Raj Thackeray reacts to the crushing defeat of MNS
After the crushing defeat in the Maharashtra civic elections 2026, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said that he did not achieve the expected success and that he would reflect on what went wrong.
He said that this election was a fight against 'money power and the power of authority' and that the Shiv Sena and MNS workers fought a great battle.
Raj Thackeray said, "Our fight is for the Marathi people, for the Marathi language, for Marathi identity, and for a prosperous Maharashtra. This fight is our very existence. You all know very well that such battles are long."
“Though Maharashtra Navnirman Sena did not achieve the expected success this time, and that brings sorrow, we are not the ones to get disheartened by it. Our elected corporators will more than hold their own against the ruling powers wherever they are. And if anything seems to go against the Marathi people, they will certainly bring those in power to task."
He said that he would soon get back to work and rebuild his party and organization from scratch.
Reacting to the results on Saturday, the Shiv Sena (UBT) stated that it will continue its fight in Maharashtra till the Marathi community receives the respect it deserves.
The MNS won only 12 seats across the state. It won six seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The BMC loss is not just another defeat for the Thackerays, especially the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav. It means losing control of Mumbai’s street politics and issues that affect Mumbaikars in day-to-day life.
The BMC was under Shiv Sena’s control for nearly three decades. For the party which has already lost a big part of its cadre due to the split, as well as the state, the defeat in the BMC elections is a big setback.
Prakash Kumar Pandey