"We Will Fight and Win for Mumbai": Aaditya Thackeray Hits Out at the ‘BJP-Adani Nexus' Ahead of BMC Polls

Aaditya Thackeray kickstarted the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s campaign for the upcoming BMC elections with a fiery speech in Mumbai, launching a direct attack on the BJP and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Addressing a public gathering, Aaditya accused the two of conspiring to hand over Mumbai to corporate interests, especially the Adani Group. He referred to Shinde as “Bhrashtanath” and framed the municipal elections as a battle to protect the city’s identity and autonomy. “If anyone tries to capture Mumbai, we will fight and we will win,” he said, urging citizens to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Shiv Sena in what he described as a fight for Mumbai’s soul.

Aaditya took aim at the controversial Dharavi Redevelopment Project, claiming that the BJP handed it to Adani for the latter’s private benefit. He alleged that the BMC would now have to spend over ₹2,000 crore to clean the Deonar dumping ground to support the project, and in order to recover that amount, a new garbage collection tax would be levied on Mumbaikars. “They can accommodate Adani, but won’t give even one square foot of land to Mumbaikars,” he said.

He further warned of the dangers of corporate dominance in civic affairs. According to Aaditya, once Mumbai falls into the hands of a business group, elected representatives will lose control over the city’s governance. Calling for a movement similar to the Samyukta Maharashtra struggle, he said this fight transcends party politics and must be taken up by every Mumbaikar. “This is not just the Sena’s battle; it is Mumbai’s battle. Come and join us to save our city,” he urged.

The timing of the rally was also significant, as it coincided with the anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Aaditya said that while the state should be celebrating the legacy of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra, the Marathi manoos are under threat. He claimed that after failing to detach Mumbai from Maharashtra, the BJP is now trying to wrest the city from Marathi hands and hand it over to corporate powers like Adani.

Reiterating his earlier corruption allegations, Aaditya said that the scams he highlighted, such as the cement road project and the Thane-Borivali belt irregularities, have now come under legal scrutiny. “I was the first to expose the cement road scam. Now everyone can see the poor quality of the work. In October 2024, I warned about corruption in the Thane-Borivali project, and today the Supreme Court has had to cancel the tender,” he said.

Aaditya concluded his address by clarifying that it was not anything personal. “We have nothing against Adani as an individual, but if anyone charges toward Mumbai, we will stand in their way. We will fight. And we will win.”

The upcoming BMC elections hold high stakes for Shiv Sena (UBT), which faced a significant setback in the previous assembly polls, winning only 20 seats statewide, 10 of them from Mumbai. With the BMC long considered the Sena's bastion, the party is now making a high-pitched appeal to regain its influence.​