Mumbai: As Maharashtra gears up for the first phase of local body elections on December 2, the ruling Mahayuti alliance – the Bharatiya Janata Party, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction, and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party – is grappling with deepening fissures. What began as subtle disagreements over seat-sharing and cadre poaching has now turned into full- blown public spats, boycotts, and allegations of vote-buying. Many, especially in the Sena, are now worrying about the coalition's stability. 

The local body election matter far beyond just municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats for both the ruling parties and the opposition. Like it is common in local body elections, the Mahayuti parties are contesting against each other on several key seats in the state.

Despite assurances of “ideological unity”, the infighting appears driven by electoral ambitions, especially in key urban and rural councils where Shiv Sena enjoys a strong hold. In the past week, there have been open exchange of barbs between the Sena and BJP leaders in the former’s turf Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, and Palghar region. 

Although chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Shinde have maintained an uncomfortable silence, the cracks first showed in mid-November when Shinde's Shiv Sena accused the BJP of aggressively poaching its grassroots workers and former corporators, especially in Sena bastions such as Kalyan-Dombivli. It became a matter of pride for Shinde’s party especially because Kalyan-Dombivli is also a parliamentary constituency held by Shinde's son, Shrikant, since 2014.

An arrangement and its undoing

On November 18, BJP state president Ravindra Chavan inducted three Shiv Sena ex-corporators, prompting Shinde to convene an urgent meeting with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The duo agreed on a "no-poaching pact," with Shinde publicly stating that neither party would induct the other's workers to preserve harmony. However, the damage was done: Shiv Sena ministers boycotted a state cabinet meeting that day, protesting what they called BJP's "divisive politics" and "aggressive campaigning" in Thane district. One minister alleged that the BJP was treating Shinde's faction in a "stepmotherly" way in fund allocations and seat distributions.

The arrangement that both Fadnavis and Shinde claimed to have struck however didn’t stop the poaching. By November 27, the BJP welcomed three more Shinde Sena leaders – Ananda Dhoke, Shilparani Wadkar, and Roopsingh Dhal – into its fold, overseen by Chavan himself. This move strained the alliance further, with Shinde reiterating that Mahayuti's bond was "old, strong, and permanent," not based on "power or circumstantial needs." 

Opposition leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT), seized the opportunity, mocking the BJP's "use and throw policy" toward its allies. NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar said that Mahayuti did not “need” Shinde anymore and that the deputy chief minister should quit. 

The poaching spree isn’t a one way thing. The Sena too has been busy inducted BJP workers into the party. 

Sources in the Sena claim that the infighting had been on ever since Shinde, who in the last tenure was the chief minister, had to make way for Fadnavis in this government. What started behind closed doors had now spilled into the open, a senior Sena leader told The Wire. 

Veiled accusations

On November 19, Shinde flew to Delhi to meet Union home minister Amit Shah, reportedly voicing “unhappiness” over Chavan's role in poaching and demanding restraint to avoid public criticism among allies. Shinde later downplayed the meeting, insisting he wasn't one to "complain" and that any friction was a “media creation”. Yet, the damage lingered. By November 22, Shinde took a cryptic swipe at the BJP during a rally in Dahanu, warning that “arrogance caused Ravana's downfall” and that “Ravana's Lanka will burn”. It was a clear jab at BJP's “expansionist tactics” and Fadnavis responded to it, again without naming Shinde or his party. “Someone may say they will burn down your Lanka. But we do not live in Lanka. We are followers of Lord Ram. Ravana cannot be the brother of Lord Ram. So why use such language during elections,” the chief minister said.

Both parties have accused each other of not supporting the ongoing campaign on ground. In Badlapur, BJP accused Shinde's Shiv Sena of “blatant nepotism” as the latter nominated six members of the influential Vaman Mhatre family for the 49-seat municipal council. In Hingoli, BJP MLA Tanaji Mutkule accused Shinde Sena legislator Santosh Bangar of using “money power” to influence voters, claiming Bangar had taken Rs 50 crore to defect from Uddhav Thackeray's camp in 2022.

The most dramatic clash unfolded in Malvan-Kankavli on November 27, where Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane, son of BJP minister Narayan Rane, barged into the home of local BJP leader Vijay Kenavadekar, seizing bags allegedly containing cash for vote-buying at Rs 25,000 per vote. Rane claimed the funds came directly from Chavan. BJP has dismissed it as a wild claim from a losing side.

In Jalgaon, BJP MP and Union minister Raksha Khadse accused Sena workers of "intimidating" residents in the Muktainagar constituency, a traditional BJP stronghold now held by the Sena.

Amid the chaos, top leaders have only been making statements that indicate damage control. Shrikant Shinde has pushed for a “united front” in Kalyan-Dombivli, acknowledging "friendly fights" but urging allies to avoid testing “political strength” against each other.

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