Shinde's Preemptive Move: Shiv Sena Corporators Shifted to Hotel Amid Fears of Poaching, Uddhav Thackeray Vows to Regain Control

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In a strategic move to secure his numbers ahead of the mayoral election, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has shifted newly elected Shiv Sena corporators to a hotel in Bandra. This precautionary step comes as the ruling alliance, led by the BJP and Shinde's Shiv Sena, edges closer to the majority mark in the 227-member BMC. The BJP has secured 89 seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has won 29, taking the ruling alliance to 118. Despite the loss of control over India's richest civic body, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray remains confident that his party will regain control. At a rally in Mumbai, Thackeray praised his party cadres for standing by the organisation despite scarce resources and accused the BJP of misusing power and winning the civic polls through 'betrayal'. Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the BJP, alleging that they had 'mortgaged Mumbai' to secure victory. He reiterated that the Sena (UBT) remains the true representative of the Marathi people and vowed to install a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai, a dream he hopes will be realised 'if God is willing'. Shinde's decision to shift the Shiv Sena corporators to a hotel has been seen as a precautionary measure to prevent poaching or last-minute defections that could upset the arithmetic and complicate control of the civic house. As the mayoral election approaches, the stakes are high, and the numbers are close, making Shinde's move a calculated risk to maintain control of the civic body.