Future of Mumbai at crossroads, struggle for Marathi Manoos will continue: Shiv Sena (UBT) in Saamana

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday said that the future of Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai and the identity of the Marathi Manoos stand at a critical juncture following what it termed as chaotic and controversial results of elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and 28 other civic bodies.

In a strongly worded editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp alleged large-scale electoral irregularities, including EVM manipulation, voter bribery and bogus voting, as counting stretched late into the night. It posed a pointed question: who will now protect the interests of the Marathi Manoos in Mumbai?

The editorial said the electoral setbacks suffered by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were not merely political losses but amounted to a betrayal of Mumbai’s heritage. Those responsible for weakening regional forces, it claimed, had effectively “traded away” the legacy built on the sacrifices of the city’s martyrs.