Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, in his first public address following the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election results declared on January 16, 2026, vehemently accused the BJP-led alliance of winning the polls through "betrayal" and attempting to "mortgage Mumbai." He asserted that the 'Marathi manoos' (Marathi people) would not forgive this act. Thackeray's statements came a day after the BJP-Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena combine, forming the Mahayuti alliance, secured a clear majority in the high-stakes Mumbai civic elections, thereby ending the Thackeray family's nearly three-decade-long control over the BMC. The 2026 BMC elections, held on January 15, saw the BJP emerge as the single largest party, securing 89 seats in the 227-member civic body. Its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, bagged 29 seats, contributing to the Mahayuti alliance's decisive victory. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) managed to win 65 seats. Despite the setback, Thackeray struck a defiant tone, expressing his dream of installing a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai and stating that the battle had just begun. The results also indicated a broader sweep by the Mahayuti alliance across 25 of the 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, further solidifying the BJP's dominance in urban Maharashtra. The Congress, fighting in alliance with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), secured 24 seats in the BMC.