Thackeray cousins shift campaign focus ahead of polls, to visit party shakhas

Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS chief Raj Thackeray have opted to visit party shakhas instead of addressing multiple rallies ahead of the BMC Election 2026 reported the PTIThe move is being seen as a strategic recalibration aimed at directly engaging with the maximum number of votersEarlier the two leaders were expected to address three rallies in Mumbai one each in the eastern and western suburbs along with a mega rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar However they are now jointly scheduled to visit party offices across the city on MondayGrassroots outreach takes priorityOn Sunday night Uddhav Thackeray campaigned in ward number 2 in Dahisar north Mumbai in support of Shiv Sena UBT candidate Dhanashri Kolge Kolge is contesting against Tejasvi Ghosalkar a former Sena UBT corporator who is now the BJP nomineeSpeaking to reporters Shiv Sena UBT leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said that only one public meeting would be held at Shivaji ParkInstead of expending energy on rallies when party workers are already campaigning it is important to reach out directly to the people Sanjay Raut said according to the PTILimited ralliesRaut added that both Uddhav and Raj Thackeray deliberated on the issue on Sunday and jointly decided to limit their rallies While Mumbai will see only one mega rally at Shivaji Park a public meeting is planned in Thane Discussions are also under way regarding rallies in Kalyan and Dombivli along with a joint rally in NashikAdditionally Uddhav Thackeray is scheduled to address a rally in Chhatrapati SambhajinagarAlliance for lsquoMarathi ManoosrsquoLast month Raut had indicated that the Thackeray cousins would hold three joint rallies in Mumbai as well as meetings in Thane Nashik Kalyan and Dombivli The revised plan reflects a shift towards grassrootslevel campaigning rather than largescale public gatherings the PTI reportedElections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra including Mumbai are scheduled for January 15 Setting aside past differences in the name of the Marathi manoos Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have come together in an alliance for the highstakes BMC pollsMNS Seeks Probe Into Unopposed Civic Poll Wins in MaharashtraMeanwhile the MNS on Monday urged the State Election Commission to withhold the declaration of results of candidates elected unopposed to the Thane Municipal Corporation and other civic bodies across Maharashtra demanding a comprehensive investigation into the matter as per the PTIThe demand follows the ruling BJPled Mahayuti alliance securing 68 seats unopposed in municipal corporation elections scheduled to be held on January 15 Opposition parties have alleged that candidates were coerced into withdrawing nominations through intimidation and financial inducementsMNS leader Avinash Jadhav met the State Election Commission and submitted a detailed representation outlining the circumstances under which 68 candidates were elected unopposed including several seats in Thane The party has called for the formation of a highlevel joint committee comprising retired judges and senior police officials to investigate the alleged irregularities the news agency reportedGet all BMC Election 2026 updates here Your ward info belowRead more All about BMC ElectionRead more Know Your Wardwith PTI inputs