MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday released a joint manifesto chock-a-block with goodies for Mumbai’s citizens Apart from a property tax waiver to flats below 700 sq ft, a ₹1,500 monthly dole to domestic helps and 100,000 affordable houses for the Marathi manoos, the cousins promised to bring all city roads, including those managed by MMRDA, MSRDC and PWD, under the BMC’s jurisdiction for better maintenance.
Mumbai, India – Jan. 4, 2026: MNS Leader Raj Thackeray along with Shiv Sena (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut addressing the media during press conference after releasing the joint manifesto at Sena Bhavan in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, January 4, 2026. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)
Bringing up the controversial issue of Mahayuti candidates getting elected unopposed, Uddhav said that after vote chori, the Mahayuti had now begun stealing candidates. “Candidates getting elected unopposed is an insult to democracy and people in Kalyan Dombivli and Thane,” he said. “The election process must begin afresh there and the telephone records of returning officers must be checked.” Uddhav said that the State Election Commission (SEC) had stayed the election results where candidates were elected unopposed.
Raj Thackeray said that when someone was elected unopposed in West Bengal, the BJP had moved court against this. “If they can’t tolerate it in West Bengal, how can they practise it here?” he demanded.
Uddhav alleged that the SEC had denied him permission to release a booklet on the work done by his MVA government during Covid-19 but he would release it nevertheless. “Let the SEC stop it if it has the guts,” he said. “If China built a field hospital in 15 days, we did it in 18 days. We will tell people about our good work.”
When contacted, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said the matter had never come before him. A BMC officer explained, “The booklet had 12 pictures of the then BMC commissioner I S Chahal, who is now the special observer for the BMC polls. It had photos of the then additional commissioner (health) Suresh Kakani, who at present is secretary to the Election Commission. The depiction of these two would have sent out a wrong message. We have cleared the booklet with a lot of deletions.”
Uddhav came down heavily on BJP politician and legislative assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, whose video threatening to have MLC Haribhau Rathod’s security removed for arguing with him at the Byculla election office went viral recently. Rathod was pleading with returning officer Krishna Jadhav to accept a candidate’s nomination form.
“A speaker must be neutral,” said Uddhav. “He can’t take sides and go for political campaigns. He has no right to take away anyone’s security. A FIR must be registered against Narwekar and he must be suspended.”
The BJP hit back with an ‘Aarop Patra’ (chargesheet) against the Sena (UBT) released by Mumbai BJP president and MLA Ameet Satam. Alleging that the party had “siphoned off ₹3 lakh crore over the past 25 years”, Satam called it the biggest corruption scam in the country and said that Mumbaikars would decisively vote the Sena (UBT) out in the BMC elections.
The MLA rattled off figures to highlight alleged episodes of corruption— ₹21,000 crore on bad roads, the ₹900-crore garbage transport vehicle scam, a ₹3,600-crore electric bus scam, the ₹1,034-crore Patra Chawl scam and the ₹6,000-crore Dattak Vasti Scheme. He also pointed out that 114 Marathi BMC schools had closed in the last 10 years.
Shiv Sena general secretary and former MP Rahul Shewale said the manifesto was a recycling of old promises from the Sena (UBT)’s 2017 document, with no fresh vision or roadmap for Mumbai. “What is even more shocking is that three core words—Hinduhṛuday Samrat, Hindutva, and Marathi Manoos—have been deliberately removed,” he alleged. “This clearly shows that the Thackeray cousins have completely abandoned the ideals of Bal Thackeray.” Shewale termed the manifesto a “desperate attempt by fathers to save erring children”.