After the unprecedented success in the assembly elections, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde exhorted party workers to be ready for the upcoming municipal polls in the state.

Addressing Shiv Sena office bearers and workers at a gathering held at the NSCI Dome Center in Worli, he said, “Take the work done by the government in Mumbai and the state over the last two and a half years to the people. Every ward should have a Shiv Sena branch, and every home should have a Shiv Sainik. We delivered one blow in the assembly elections, and now we need to deliver the second blow in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation,”
He directed the members and office bearers to register 123 new names from each ward as party members and ensure that each ward has more than 10,000 registered members.
further said, “Some people talk about breaking Mumbai whenever elections approach. But as long as the sun and the moon exist, no one can separate Mumbai from us. Our government is driving stalled redevelopment projects and bringing back displaced Mumbaikars. We’ve unified various agencies like MHADA, MMRDA, MahaPreit, and MIDC to initiate cluster-based development in Mumbai, similar to Thane. Our government has established seven STPs in Mumbai, and within three to four years, processed wastewater will be released into the sea, turning Mumbai’s seawater into crystal blue,” Shiv Sena press release quoted Deputy CM Shinde as saying.
“The government’s plan to concrete all Mumbai roads in two phases. However, in the name of road repairs, some people have syphoned off Rs 3,500 crore,” Shinde said, taking a jibe at the UBT faction. “We’ve launched 700 Balasaheb Thackeray Health Clinics across the state, with 300 more to come in Mumbai. Additionally, we’ve acquired 120 acres from the Mahalaxmi Racecourse to develop a 300-acre Central Park–something no one dared attempt before,” he added.
Launching a scathing attack on the opposition, Shinde said, “When I became Chief Minister, I cleaned Mumbai’s roads and reduced pollution. But you spent years cleaning out the treasury instead.”
He recalled his pre-election promise, saying, “I declared in my first speech in the assembly that the MahaYuti would win over 200 seats–or else I would return to farming. But the people of Maharashtra, including our beloved sisters, brothers, farmers, and elders, voted overwhelmingly for us. They showed in the elections who the real Shiv Sena is. Those who accused us of taking bribes were locked away by the public. I’m not here for power; I’m here for people. I’ve never bargained for positions. I rebelled to carry forward Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideals, guided by the principles of Dharmaveer Anand Dighe.”
Hitting out the opposition, he said that the opposition parties don’t care or Balasaheb’s principles and they want part’s property
“They don’t care for Balasaheb’s principles; all they want is the party’s property. Balasaheb Thackeray was the only leader who gave this country the ideology of Hindutva. But the opposition succumbed to the lure of power and lost everything. If they hadn’t become Chief Minister, the party wouldn’t have split. They began treating their colleagues as servants. A party doesn’t grow by creating hierarchies of masters and servants. They even called a district head and asked, ‘Will you stay with the master or go with the servant?’ That kind of mentality will never grow the party,” he said in a press note.
“This party belongs to the workers. Balasaheb nurtured it with his heart, respecting every Shiv Sainik. We’ve followed the teachings of Balasaheb and Anand Dighe to bring a government for the common people. In the gram panchayat elections held after our rebellion, we emerged as the second-largest party. People are joining us in large numbers; instead of questioning why they’re coming here, the opposition should introspect about why people are leaving them,” Shinde added.
Discussing the MahaYuti coalition, Shinde said, “All three parties are working together. There’s no cold war; our war is against those who work against development.
During the event, several leaders, including UBT faction Vile Parle Sub-Division Chief Jitendra Janawale, Yuva Sena’s Ajita Janawale, Sub-Division Chief Anil Khandekar, Hani Sablo, and NCP’s Mumbai Secretary Satish Nair, joined Shiv Sena.-ANI