- 7 months ago
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance dominated 25 of 29 municipal elections, causing setbacks for the Thackeray and Pawar factions in their traditional bastions.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your prime time destination.
00:08As you can see behind me, it's the magnificent building of the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation,
00:15India's richest civic body, which has elected a new set of corporators and created what looks
00:22like a slice of history for Mumbai and Maharashtra. Our special coverage here, the big headline
00:29and the talking point. The BJP is set to dethrone the Thakres in Mumbai. Devendra Fattavis, the man
00:37of the moment, a saffron wave across Maharashtra. The BJP will get in all possibility its first
00:45mayor of Mumbai. Is Fattavis now the undisputed big boss of Maharashtra? And what happens to
00:53Brand Thakre and Brand Pawar? Are they on the way in or can they revive? Lots of questions
00:59to be asked. But first, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at nine.
01:05The BJP creates a slice of history in Mumbai, crosses the halfway mark in the BMC elections
01:12with ally Shinde Sena. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fattavis leads the celebration. The
01:18Thakre brothers failed to secure their bastion even though Uddav Thakre does much better than
01:24cousin Raj.
01:28The saffron surge in Maharashtra sees the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance win 25 of the 29 municipal
01:36elections in the state. Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah thanked people of Maharashtra
01:42for trusting the NDA. Major embarrassment for the state election commission amidst political
01:51uproar. Maharashtra state election panel now bars the use of marker pens in the upcoming
01:56Zilla Parishat polls. This after India Today had exposed how the ink was being removed.
02:03Rahul Gandhi accuses EC of gaslighting citizens.
02:06Action now shifts to Bengal as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches a skating attack on TMC
02:15ahead of his rally in Malda. As Bengal fed up of TMC, people set to reject them.
02:24Delhi's air deteriorates again central pollution body to re-impose GRAP-3 norms in NCR region,
02:30non-essential construction and demolition ban.
02:36Tanjay Kapoor's inheritance dispute takes yet another turn. Supreme Court issues notice to
02:41actor Karishma Kapoor on a plea filed by the late industrialist wife Priya Sajdev seeking a copy of
02:48their divorce documents.
02:52As a Rafael boost for the Defence Forces, Defence Board gives a nod to acquire 114 Rafael fighter jets.
02:58Sources say India and France aim to seal the deal during a proposed Modi-Macron meet in February.
03:06International Monetary Fund lords India's growth, says strong consumption has pushed GDP figures
03:12better than expected. BJP now mocks Rahul Gandhi's debt economy giant.
03:19Days after Donald Trump's operation in Venezuela, country's opposition leader Maria Corrino Machado
03:25presents our Nobel Peace Prize to Trump. Trump calls it a wonderful gesture.
03:41But tonight our focus is on what has been seen as the first big election test of 2026 in Maharashtra.
03:48And here are my big takeaways. Before we go into our discussion, let me bring you the big picture,
03:55how I see it. There is a saffron surge across Maharashtra. The BJP has emerged as the party number one
04:02in India's second most populous state. Remember, Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha MPs. It's now a triple
04:08engine. The BJP is in power at the centre, in the Mantralai in Mumbai and also now in most local bodies,
04:15including the BMC. And that's a big shift, a tectonic shift in Maharashtra. Number two,
04:22Devendra Fadnavis, 55-year-old chief minister, is a big winner. And now he's in the front line
04:29of the BJP's Gen Next. Often the question is asked, after Modi who? Would it be Mr. Fadnavis
04:35after he drove the BJP's big victory in Maharashtra? Takeaway number three,
04:41Uddav Thakre retains the core Marathi vote in Mumbai, but the Raj Thakre effect has pulled
04:49brand Thakre down. So the brand Thakre has not been able to expand, which is why after 30 years
04:55in power in the BMC, the fact is that Thakres will not be in power in the civic body of Mumbai.
05:05And that is a huge setback to brand Thakre. Takeaway number four, and this is a big one,
05:11the Pawars, the other big family of Maharashtra has been routed in their Western Maharashtra
05:17bastion as the BJP allies across the board have taken a bit of a hit. So you've seen the BJP is
05:25strong, but its allies, whether it's NCP, Ajit Pawar, and even Eknat Shinde has not done as well
05:31as expected in Mumbai. The Congress reduced yet again to a marginal player in a state it once
05:39dominated. Remember the Congress was seen as the numero uno party of Maharashtra for almost five
05:46decades, right up to 2014. Now in the last 10 years, we are seeing the gradual decline of the Congress
05:53and it has been accentuated in a way in this election. A few victories here and there like
05:59in Latour, but not enough across Maharashtra. My next takeaway, a big one, AIMIM, Assaduddin Overseas
06:08Party has won over 100 seats across Maharashtra and therefore could well emerge as a preferred choice
06:15in many Muslim dominated areas. And that has in a way led to a fragmentation of the Muslim vote
06:22as well. In fact, that's my seventh takeaway. A fragmented opposition, a badly divided opposition
06:30gives the BJP a big advantage. We are seeing in states where the index of opposition unity
06:38is low, it is advantage BJP. The India Alliance, which had come together in the Lok Sabha has
06:45now clearly fragmented and given the BJP a huge advantage. Hindutva plus Vikas plus a fragmented
06:54opposition has meant BJP emerging as Maharashtra's party number one.
07:00Let me go to my first guest then. Milind Devra is joining me. He's a leader of the Shiv Sena,
07:09Eknath Shinde, was once of course a Congress MP, knows Mumbai very well. Appreciate your joining
07:15us, Mr. Devra. You saw my seven takeaways. It appears the BJP has emerged as the party number
07:22one. And all of you, all the allies now have to latch on to the BJP in a way, including Mr.
07:29Shinde's party. You haven't done as well in Mumbai as you might have expected.
07:37Well, firstly, Rajdeep, I'm very excited for the alliance because I think that in a state
07:44like Maharashtra, which is India's economic growth engine, in the fact that Maharashtra is the second
07:48largest state in the country. And the fact that there has been a massive push to increase and
07:57augment infrastructure, economic growth, industrialization in the state, especially in
08:02the MMI region, the Mumbai metropolitan region, in the last few years by the central government
08:06and the state government. The Mahayuti winning municipalities and municipal corporations is very,
08:13very critical. The fact that the Mumbai municipal corporation, yes, I do accept that my party
08:17hasn't done as well as the BJP, but that's fine. We're part of the same alliance. The fact
08:23that the Mumbai municipal corporation, which is the richest civic body in Asia, one of the
08:30least accountable civic bodies, one of the most corrupt civic bodies in Asia, has finally
08:35got rid of a party, a family that has run the corporation for the last 30 years, and that
08:43it will be able to coordinate its activities, its growth, its infrastructure, its development
08:49with the state government and with the central government, I think is a huge boon for the
08:53people of Mumbai and for the people of Maharashtra. So that said, the fact that BJP is the largest
08:58party, we accept that. The fact that we are a significant player in that coalition, that's
09:03a reality as well. In a city like Mumbai which… No, are you a significant player? No, no, are you a significant
09:06player? The sense I get is the BJP is gradually expanding and the Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde or the Shiv Sena
09:14and Ajit Pawar's NCP are both now clutching at straws. Devendra Phatnavish is the man of the moment.
09:20Not Eknath Shinde, not Ajit Pawar. You are now completely dependent on the BJP.
09:26Firstly, please don't make it sound like it's a different thing. I think Mr. Shinde and Mr. Devendra
09:33Phatnavish enjoy a very close personal relationship, a very close working equation. Mr. Shinde enjoys a
09:38very close relationship with the leadership in New Delhi. So there's no difference. It's not that it's
09:44something that if they gain, it's not a zero-sum game if the gains to one party are set off against
09:50losses to another. We have, for example, our strengths in certain areas. We as a party are strong in
09:56many parts of MMR. We are strong in Thane. We are strong in Kalyan Dombivli. But we work as a team.
10:03And in Mumbai, certainly, BJP has been established for a much longer time. We are relatively
10:10seeking a new party in Mumbai. No, but it appears, Mr. Devendra, it appears that the Marathi Manus, the Maharashtrian
10:15vote has gone with Uddav Thakre. If I look at the numbers of Mumbai and I'll put them on the screen, the fact is in direct
10:23contest between Shiv Sena UBT and Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde. The UBT has won. So there is a sense, at least
10:31at least in Mumbai, Mr. Thakre still retains a hold over the Marathi Manus and Eknath Shinde is still
10:39seen as a leader of Thane and the suburbs.
10:41Let me answer that firstly. The fact is that Uddav Thakre's base today, if you look at the municipal
10:49cooperation elections, if you look at the elections that happened preceding this, the local body
10:55elections, the Lila Parishad, Nagar Parishad elections, Uddav Thakre's base is no longer an MMR base.
11:03It's really limited to Mumbai. So in that sense, I accept that they are strong in Mumbai. There are many
11:09areas where they're strong. I can give you my own example of South Mumbai. In Worley, for example,
11:14Aritya Thakre, the only member of the Thakre family who's a legislator, he's a member of the state
11:19assembly from Worley. In a place like Worley to get him elected, two people were made MLCs. So just in
11:27Worley, there are three MLAs from UBT. Plus they have a Lok Sabha MP. Plus they have three former
11:32Meyers. So I don't deny that UBT's concentration of power is in Mumbai. But does that mean that a party like
11:43ours, which is a relatively new party, it still is operating like a startup in its first municipal
11:49cooperation in Mumbai that we've reached over 20 seats, almost 30 seats. In my opinion, that plus the fact that we have a
11:58sizable vote share Rajdeep and that vote share helped Mahayuti keep the Thakres out of power in
12:04Mumbai municipal cooperation, obviously demonstrates that we have a presence and we have, we need to
12:09strengthen that. You don't, you don't see a foresee a situation where the BJP in the near future will say
12:14we don't need any of you. We are now a party on a roll. We don't need the Shiv Sena, Shinde. We don't need
12:19NCP Ajit Pawar. We are on a roll. That's happened in other states. The BJP has swallowed other smaller
12:25regional parties over the years. I can't comment on what they'll say for other coalition partners, but I can tell you that as far as this alliance goes,
12:31this alliance is very strong. This alliance is an alliance where both parties realize that each
12:37party brings a lot of value, a different flavor, unique ingredients to this mix, and that both parties must go into elections together.
12:46Even though we have a much smaller presence than BJP in Mumbai, I don't deny that. We have a very
12:51integral role to play in ensuring that the Mahayuti wins in Mumbai. And that's essentially how we won this.
12:57Can I ask you in conclusion, your old party, the Congress, a party you were once part of for several years, you were MP from there.
13:05The Congress has diminished in Mumbai and indeed across Maharashtra. Are you surprised?
13:10Because in 2024, Lok Sabha, the Congress did very well. In fact, the entire Mahavikas Aghaadi, the opposition did very well.
13:19Are you surprised with what has happened?
13:21I think the Congress, my only point on the Congress is that I'm not surprised that the party hasn't done well and the party is moving towards irrelevance in Maharashtra.
13:28I think the Congress made a fatal error when it aligned with Udhra Thakere in 2019. The Congress didn't learn from its mistakes in several states.
13:39When the Congress aligned with the Aam Admi Party in New Delhi, the Congress became a third player. The battle became BJP versus the Aam Admi Party in Delhi.
13:47When the same thing happened in West Bengal, the same thing happened in Andhra Pradesh. The same thing happened in Kashmir. The same thing has happened in Uttar Pradesh.
13:53In Tamil Nadu for 55 or 60 years, the Congress party has failed to revive. And the Congress essentially gave the anti-BJP plank on a platter to Udhra Thakere.
14:06So, the Congress now is really surviving and struggling. Its real competition is no longer BJP or the party I belong to today.
14:15Congress' real competition in a city like Mumbai, Rajdeep, is to some extent Udhra Thakere, to some extent MIM.
14:23And Samajwadi party. So, really, their competition is now Asaduddin Uwesi, Abu Ajim. That's the space that they're fighting for.
14:31But, you know, we've seen in Maharashtra soap opera over the last few years.
14:36Parties breaking, Shiv Sena breaking, NCP breaking, the BJP emerging stronger.
14:41But the regional parties breaking up, the Congress diminished. Do you believe Maharashtra is also now heading to a one-party dominant state?
14:50And is this a state of Hindutva politics that we are seeing the BJP talks of Vikas but also talks of Hindutva that Mumbai will never have a Khan as a mayor?
15:00Do you believe that Maharashtra now will see a stable, one-party dominant BJP?
15:06I don't think that any party, any state in our country will become a one-party state.
15:13We're not China. We don't have a one-party system.
15:16There will always be a vacuum. There will always be space for an opposition.
15:19In Maharashtra, for instance, I can give you an example.
15:21Yes, there are many parties, but I think this is the final election that has settled Maharashtra's politics.
15:26The fact is that the opposition in Maharashtra completely collapsed.
15:30Like you said, the Congress completely collapsed in Maharashtra.
15:33The NCPSP, for various reasons, collapsed in Maharashtra.
15:37UBT, Baring, Mumbai completely collapsed in Maharashtra.
15:41So it's but natural that the ruling alliance, which is made up of three major parties,
15:47in many cases fought separately also.
15:49Because someone has to fill that vacuum.
15:52And in many cases, we had friendly fights.
15:54And in many cases, the members of the alliance have become opposition members,
16:02have become the opposition in some municipal corporations.
16:04The only ism in Maharashtra, Mr. Deva, is opportunism.
16:08The only ism in Maharashtra is opportunism.
16:11There are no permanent friends or enemies in Maharashtra.
16:14Let's be very clear.
16:15There are only permanent interests.
16:17No, we are very different from your profession, Rajdeep, in that sense.
16:20The point I would make is that in Maharashtra, the election has now settled the fact that there were six or seven political parties.
16:31Those six or seven political parties, now it's very clear who has a dominance where.
16:35But when you're in a state where you have so many political parties, and you have a complete collapse of the opposition, it's but natural for people who can be in an alliance, but can also compete against one another in different municipal corporations or in different municipal councils.
16:50I don't see anything wrong with that.
16:52To answer your earlier question that, you know, is it a dominant one party that's dominant?
16:56I can tell you that even though the Shiv Sena and the BJP and the NCP fought against each other in several municipal corporations.
17:04Allow me to make this point.
17:06As far as the state government goes, as far as the central government goes, the NDA, the Mahayuti is very strong.
17:11The NDA, the Mahayuti will work together.
17:13If an opportunity arises where the Mahayuti partners can come together to form the municipality in a particular area, I'm sure that will happen.
17:20Because ultimately, please understand, the fact is that if you just look at an example of a city like Mumbai, the people of the city are seeing unparalleled development happening in the last few years.
17:31Whether you're a motorist who drives by car and you're driving on the coastal road, whether you're someone who uses public transportation and you're using the metro,
17:39whether you're someone who needs affordable housing and your chawl is being redeveloped, whether you're someone living in a skyscraper.
17:45And for the first time, I think that there is a narrative which countered, by the way, the narrative of two brothers who tried to make an emotional pitch to the voters.
17:55And the usual pitch, you've been following Maharashtra politics for a long time, that Mumbai is going to be separated from Maharashtra.
18:00For the first time, the voters of Mumbai, for the first time, the voters of Maharashtra have understood the importance of voting for Mahayuti at a local level.
18:11Because if Mahayuti is in power at a local level, if Mahayuti is in power at a state level, and if Mahayuti is in power at a central level,
18:18the alliance can deliver for the people of that municipality.
18:22Well, I hope you will deliver on that note.
18:24I hope you will deliver that.
18:25We have already delivered and we will continue to deliver.
18:27I will take you to pothole roads. I will take you through overflowing drains.
18:32I hope that the Mithi river will be desilted.
18:34There are lots of issues. Let's not pretend that all in Mumbai is a life of milk and honey.
18:39I commend you for holding Aditya Thakare to account.
18:42I commend you for asking him the fundamental question that while he was talking about roads,
18:48you asked him the fundamental question, which by the way is viral across social media as well,
18:52that your party was in power for the last 25 or 30 years.
18:54So, yes, it will take time to unravel what has happened in 30 years in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
19:00But I am confident that just as things are happening through the state government,
19:04which are positive for the city of Mumbai, we will see a more accountable Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
19:09And we owe it to the people to do that.
19:10We will wait and see whether that happens.
19:12Milind Deora, for joining me here tonight, thank you so much for joining me.
19:16Okay, Milind Deora there, but the fact is, it's the BJP all the way.
19:21The party set to dethrone the Thakres in Mumbai and indeed win across Maharashtra, Pune and several parts of the state.
19:29Man of the moment, Maharashtra's Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis.
19:33Take a look at his journey from a young councillor to now the Chief Minister.
19:38Here's a report.
19:42Bharat Mataki, Bharat Mataki, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajaki, Dharmavira Chhatrapati Sambhaaji Maharajaki, Jai Bhawani.
19:55As BJP scripts a win in Maharashtra's civic body polls,
20:14Devendra Gangadharra Patnavis has emerged as not just a man of the match,
20:19but also the man of the series.
20:21Right after the setback suffered in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,
20:29Farnavis has led the Mahayuti to emphatic wins in the Assembly polls
20:33and now in the local bodies, a comeback within just six months.
20:39Farnavis has perfected a winning formula, a mix of Hindutva and Vikas,
20:44bringing all castes under one umbrella.
20:47Overcoming the Maratha card of the Pawars and the Marathi Manos card,
20:50stayed by the Thakres.
20:51And this is what the
21:03I don't know how much water can I house okay I'm so happy I have managed Amala
21:09Janos Avanyan Parintopoto Lela
21:12I'm a man
21:15I'm a man
21:17I'm a man
21:19I'm a man
21:21I'm a man
21:23I'm a man
21:25I'm
21:27I
21:29I
21:31The result we saw on Friday, the Mahayuti led by Farnavis, its lead campaign face, pushed
21:39out the Thakres in the BMC after nearly three decades in a fierce battle for control of
21:45India's richest civic body.
21:50While the Thakres stuck to the 1960s identity politics revolving around sun of the soil,
21:56Farnavis seemed to have breathed the pitch better.
22:26Making the speech in Marathi at the Mahayuti rally this week, Farnavis broke into Hindi
22:36at times, equally at ease in both.
22:38The result we saw in both.
22:48Farnavis did not just do the heavy lifting, he was ready to grind it out.
23:00Farnavis did not just do the heavy lifting, he was ready to grind it out.
23:14He crisscrossed the state holding 37 rallies.
23:18Now compare this with the number of rallies by Uddhav Thakre and Raj Thakre, just three
23:23all joint meetings.
23:25Nearly three years ago, Farnavis appeared to be out in the cold, forced to play second fiddle
23:31to Eknat Shinde.
23:32But he played the waiting game.
23:34Now he has firmly established himself as the big boss of Maharashtra, the second largest
23:39state of India in terms of Lok Sabha seats.
23:42Bureau Report, India Today.
23:47And today was also a bad day in the office for the Pawars.
23:51Because remember, not just the Thakres who've lost their bastion in Pune, lost their bastion
23:56in Mumbai, in Pune and Pimpri, since what?
23:58The Pawars who once dominated Western Maharashtra have also lost out to the BJP.
24:03It almost seems as if family names are no longer guarantee of votes and political relevance
24:09now demands more than just family reunions.
24:13Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar had contested together in Pune, but that NCP alliance just did not
24:20quite work in the end.
24:23Earlier, I spoke to the union minister and the Pune MP, Muralidar Mohol of the BJP, asked
24:28him what was their role in breaking the Pawar bastion in Pune.
24:34Listen in.
24:37It is said that you were the greatest leader of Ajit Pawar, you have made it.
24:42You have made it.
24:43BJP has dominated Pune and Pimpri since world.
24:47Congratulations.
24:52Thank you, sir.
24:53Ajit Pawar, Ajit Pawar,
25:22Ajit Pawar,
25:22Ajit Pawar,
25:52आपके प्रतिद्वण्दी है,
26:21दुश्मन है,
26:22दोस्त है,
26:22सहियोगी है,
26:23क्या है,
26:24आपने आज उनी को टकर देके उनको हराया है.
26:31और राज्यमें हमारे सहियोगी है,
26:34और लोकल बाडिज इलेक्शेन में पुने में हमारे प्रतिदंध भी है.
26:38One of the many incongruities of Maharashtra politics,
26:42Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister,
26:44was fighting against the BJP in Pune and lost out.
26:47Avinash Adhik, Senior NCP Ajit Pawar leader joins us.
26:52Mr. Adhik, please explain this.
26:53Do you concede, first of all,
26:55that the Pawar reunion,
26:57like the Thakre reunion has not worked.
26:59Maharashtra is moving beyond just pure family reunion politics.
27:06Ajit, good evening.
27:07To start with, I think, you know,
27:09this coming together of the two Pawars,
27:12it took too long.
27:14So supposedly,
27:15the effects that it should have had
27:17did not turn out the way we anticipated.
27:21You're saying that the Pawar should have come together earlier?
27:27For the Pune and the Pimpi Chinchwar elections,
27:30especially,
27:31this debate was going on for quite some time.
27:34The workers from both parties
27:36were wanting them to come together.
27:38It was under pressure from the workers from both sides.
27:41But finally, a decision was made.
27:43But had it been made a little earlier,
27:46maybe we would have had better results.
27:48Because a lot of people who are aspiring to get this...
27:49Do you believe that with the BJP now emerging as the dominant force,
27:54will parties,
27:55will the Pawars now come closer together just for survival now?
27:59That this happened in Pune and Pimpi Chinchwar?
28:01Can we expect now,
28:03the family to come together
28:04and maybe even join hands with the NDA?
28:07What happens next to the Pawars?
28:09Mr. Sharad Pawar is 85.
28:11Ajit Pawar has taken a hit in this election.
28:13What happens next?
28:15I think that's for the two of them to sit together and decide.
28:19Because ultimately,
28:20Pawar Sahib is adding up on age.
28:23You know it.
28:23He's 85.
28:25He was not really very active in these elections
28:27because somebody of his stature
28:28doesn't need to even come down to canvas for these elections.
28:32But Supriya was there
28:34and so were some other leaders from his party.
28:37But the fact is also that
28:39they don't have too many leaders with them
28:42who could have come out and made an impact
28:44in Pimpi Chinchwar or Pune.
28:47It was largely left to Ajit Adha.
28:49And I think we as a unit,
28:50we as an organization,
28:52as a party,
28:53we fail to live up to his expectations.
28:56The amount of work he put...
28:57But you all need to reinvent.
28:59You concede.
29:00You all are playing transactional politics.
29:02You tie up with the BJP for power in Mantra Alay.
29:06You then tie up for the Lok Sabha election.
29:08But local body want to retain your fortresses.
29:11Voters are seeing through it.
29:12You cannot continuously play this transactional
29:16opportunistic politics.
29:18Only for power.
29:19This is true for the BJP as well.
29:21You see, the BJP also tied up with us for the Lok Sabha.
29:24The BJP tied up with us for the Vidana Sabha.
29:26But when it came to the local self-body elections,
29:29it was very openly discussed.
29:31It was all there out there
29:32that we should try and fight together.
29:36But what is your ideology?
29:38What is the ideology of the Pawars now?
29:40What is your ideology?
29:41Are you anti-BJP?
29:43What are you all?
29:44One day you are with the BJP,
29:46next day you are fighting them,
29:47calling them corrupt.
29:48No, no, no.
29:49We, the Ajit Adha power faction of the NCP
29:51or the original NCP as we like to call ourselves,
29:54we are aligned with the NGU.
29:56We are not anti-BJP at all.
29:59The question is of the ideology.
30:01Okay.
30:01We are not extremely right-wing.
30:03Okay, I'm going to leave it there.
30:05Okay, I'm going to leave it there, Mr. Adik.
30:07We'll wait and see how you'll recover from this setback
30:10because I'm now joined by another guest.
30:11He's the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly.
30:14Senior BJP leader Rahul Narvekar joins us.
30:16Mr. Narvekar, congratulations.
30:18I can see the gulal on you.
30:20You have reason to celebrate.
30:21Your brother has won.
30:23He's become a cooperator.
30:24Your sister-in-law is also won.
30:26There seems to be a Narvekar pariwar in Kulaba.
30:29You all accuse the Congress of a pariwar.
30:31Now there is a Narvekar pariwar in Mumbai.
30:34Three of you now are in politics in different positions.
30:37Sorry, Rajdeep, you weren't audible,
30:43but I would like to take the opportunity to thank the voters of Mumbai
30:47for entrusting the BMC with the Bharatiya Jindapati Alliance.
30:53And this is a vote for development.
30:55This is a vote for progress.
30:57This is a vote for the betterment of Mumbai.
31:00They have seen the deliverables.
31:01They have seen the Atal Setu that has made life much easier for Mumbai cars.
31:05They have seen the new international airport.
31:08They have seen the metro network.
31:10They have seen the coastal road.
31:12And there is a lot of aspiration in Mumbai societies and aspirational society.
31:19And certainly, BJP will stand to fulfill the aspirations and the desires of Mumbai cars
31:26in the days to come.
31:27How do you respond, Mr. Narvekar, to the opposition saying that this is all about money power, institution power?
31:34You are also accused by your rivals of coercing them to withdraw from the race against your sister-in-law.
31:44There is a sense, according to the opposition, today they are saying vote chori is taking place.
31:48Election commission was hand in glove with the BJP.
31:52There was coercion at the local level.
31:55How do you respond to that?
31:57The fact that assets of corporators have grown manifold.
32:02What's your response to money power and state power misuse that the opposition is making against you?
32:07I don't pay much heed to what these allegations of the opposition for the simple reason
32:18that when the UPA or when the Congress wins seats in Parliament, they have nothing of the sorts to say.
32:24But when they lose seats in civic elections or in assembly elections, they blame it on the election commission.
32:31It's unfortunate that a constitutional body is being, you know, aspersions are being cast on a constitutional body.
32:40And these are only foul cries of a losing entity.
32:46I mean, they could see their defeat clearly writing on the wall.
32:49They knew that they have nothing to offer.
32:51They had no issue to fight this election.
32:54And therefore, the only reason they had was to blame all leaders in the ruling party and to blame the election commission.
33:03That's all they've been doing right from day one till today.
33:05But you don't agree that you had a huge resource advantage?
33:09You don't agree that you had 10 times the resources that the other side had?
33:13Rajdeep, I'll give you my own example.
33:15The day nominations were filed, there were a series of allegations made against me with regards to breach of election code of conduct,
33:24you know, allegations of threatening candidates, etc., etc.
33:29The High Court, as well as the election commission, both have rubbished these allegations.
33:35The High Court has dismissed the repetition filed by the opposition by stating that there was no foul play,
33:42there was no unfair play, and the rules have been followed to the T,
33:47and the RO was right in rejecting the nomination papers.
33:51Even the election commission has clearly stated that there is no evidence found to state
33:56that the Speaker of the State Assembly has in any manner interfered with the election process
34:01or has committed breach of any code of conduct.
34:05And therefore, these are only fake narratives which are being sent,
34:08only to perhaps give an explanation to their humiliating defeat.
34:15Right.
34:15You know, you have been in, if I may say so, you were Shiv Sena, NCP, now with BJP.
34:20Tell us the big difference between the three parties.
34:23Now BJP has emerged as the party number one of Maharashtra.
34:26What's the big difference between these three parties?
34:28Needless to state, this is certainly a party with a difference.
34:34This is a party that believes in delivering.
34:36This is a party that has taken the country ahead, the city ahead, the state ahead.
34:41The city of Mumbai has seen unprecedented development under the leadership of Mr. Shri Dhariv,
34:48Devendra Fadnavishji.
34:50You know, one couldn't have imagined reaching from Bandra to Marine Drive in just about 20 minutes.
34:56Could you have imagined going across from Worli to Navi, Mumbai in about 18 minutes?
35:03This is all possible because of the leadership that the party has to offer.
35:07No, I don't deny that you've done much for infrastructure.
35:10But then why do you need to do freebie politics?
35:13Why do you need to do dog whistling on, let's say, communal issues?
35:18If we come to power, no Khan will become the mayor.
35:21If you have done so much for development, focus on that.
35:23Why do you then need to promise all kinds of freebies, property tax waivers, water bill waivers,
35:321500 rupees to women, free bus ride?
35:35Why do you need to do all that then?
35:38I'm sorry, you're not audible, but I'm just going to answer whatever I could understand of that question.
35:45So, all I'm trying to say, I couldn't hear you.
35:49The network is really bad.
35:50But I'm going to answer what I made out of the question.
35:53So, what I understand is the infrastructure with regards to water, maybe with regards to road,
35:59with regards to, you know, many issues, civic issues that are still pending.
36:05Let me tell you that BMC today caters to about almost 2 crore people,
36:10whereas the infrastructure is sufficient for about 90 lakh odd people.
36:14But, you know, we are building new reservoirs.
36:18The UD has also stepped in.
36:21So, why do you need, sir, if you are doing, sir, if you are focused, then focus only on governance.
36:26Then why play Hindutva politics?
36:28Why get into any of these dog whistles that we won't allow a Khan to become mayor?
36:33Don't get into any of this.
36:34Just focus then on governance for the next five years.
36:37The general impression is corporators line up their pockets.
36:41Their assets grow.
36:42The public does not benefit.
36:44You have to change all that.
36:45The impression of corporators is not a very positive one.
36:48No, it's unfortunate.
36:49It's unfortunate that this perception is being created.
36:53It's not every case that every time the assets of an individual corporator grow,
36:57they grow because he's in office.
36:59They also grow because the economy grows.
37:01Now, if a person has invested in real estate, say, five years back, and there has been a boost in the infrastructure in that place,
37:11naturally, the prices have gone up tenfold.
37:14So, you're bound to, your assets are bound to appreciate.
37:17And, you know, every rupee can be explained.
37:19Every investment can be explained.
37:21And, needless to state, most of the, I believe, the legislators, the corporators which are elected on BJP tickets
37:29have absolutely clean, crystal clear accounts and returns filed.
37:35Mr. Narvekar, you know, we will leave it there.
37:39We will look and hold you now accountable.
37:42Whatever happens in Mumbai now, the BJP is accountable.
37:45Earlier, you could pass the buck to other parties.
37:47Now, the ball is squarely in your court.
37:50You will have to deliver the people I've given you the mandate.
37:53And I wish you all the best.
37:55I can see that you've got Gulal all over.
37:57So, thank you very much amidst the celebrations for joining me on the show today.
38:02The Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly and BJP leader, three members of his family are now also within, in politics.
38:10Okay, let's raise big questions now to widen this debate.
38:12You're seeing my takeaways on the, below the screen.
38:16And I'm going to take them to people who've tracked Maharashtra's politics for years.
38:20Padnavish, is he the undisputed big boss of Maharashtra?
38:24Is Hindutva plus Vikas now the winning formula?
38:27Brand Thakre, brand Pawar on the way.
38:30Has the Congress or will the Congress learn its lessons from this route?
38:34Joining me now is my colleague and someone who knows Mumbai and Maharashtra better than anyone else.
38:38Aaj Thak's managing editor, Syil Zoshi.
38:42Yashwan Deshmukh, founder, Sea Voter.
38:45He was clever enough not to do a, put numbers there because many pollsters have had a bad day in office.
38:51They predicted a major win for the BJP in Mumbai.
38:54BJP going over halfway mark but not two-thirds.
38:56Girish Kuber, editor of Lok Satta, Maharashtra's leading newspaper also joining us.
39:02Thank you all very much for joining us.
39:04And I want first comments from y'all.
39:06Girish, your biggest takeaway.
39:08If I was to say when you look at the big picture, what's the biggest takeaway for you?
39:13Two things.
39:14First is rise of voter base for the OAC's party, number one.
39:21Obviously, it's indirectly proportionate to Congress's loss.
39:24And number two, how BJP finishes or gulps down or weakens its allies and then looks at or takes the challenge from the opposition.
39:36So, it's happening again and again and again in state after state after state.
39:39So, now here BJP, it just, we can say scraped through, you know.
39:44But the biggest losers along with Thakres are Eknath Shinde and Ajit Dada Pahar.
39:50I was listening to Milind.
39:52I mean, he said ours is a startup.
39:54Actually, this is in, he is contradicting his own boss.
39:58Eknath Shinde says he's his original party.
40:01I mean, they have been ruling Mumbai for the last 25 years.
40:04And now he says we are a startup.
40:07So, the real loser, big-time loser is Achit Dada and Eknath Shinde.
40:14They are paying the price what Uddhav Thakre paid in 2019, being associated with the BJP in a very, very opportunistic way.
40:25And now, as we look ahead in MMR region, except Thane, there is nothing for Eknath Shinde to celebrate.
40:31And for Achit Dada, it's even poor.
40:33He has nothing to celebrate.
40:35Very, very interesting, your takeaway.
40:37You're saying that the BJP's allies are the ones today who will have sleepless nights.
40:42But, Yashwan Deshmukh, when I look at the numbers, the BJP has done very well across Maharashtra.
40:49In Mumbai, on the other hand, the Eknath Shinde faction seems to have pulled down.
40:53Or the Shiv Sena has pulled down the BJP.
40:57And Raj Thakre has pulled down Uddhav Thakre.
41:00Are you surprised with that?
41:02Do you believe that what happened in the end was, had there been a more united opposition,
41:07do you believe that Mumbai could have seen an even closer race, which at the moment the BJP has crept through it?
41:13No, you're on mute.
41:19You're on mute, Yashwan.
41:22Sorry, sorry, Rajdeep.
41:24Yeah, go ahead.
41:24I said unlikely.
41:26I mean, mathematically, it looks like that if they would have been together, then the number.
41:32But the thing is that, you see, if they would have been together, then the only equation that might have changed would have been
41:39Muslim seeds going to the alliance, the umbrella alliance.
41:44That wouldn't have changed the total number of seeds, Rajdeep.
41:47In fact, it might have probably counter-polarized Hindutva further towards the BJP.
41:55So my theory is a bit different.
41:57First of all, my big takeaway is the arrival of Devint Furnavis as the key person or the Marathi leader that is conclusive
42:06because I don't see this election saying arrival of BJP.
42:11BJP arrived 11 years back when they became the single largest party in 2015 assembly election.
42:17And since then, they have been in vote and in seats.
42:20They have been a single largest party all along.
42:23You know, having said that, Rajdeep, what I feel…
42:25So what is your biggest takeaway?
42:27What is your biggest takeaway?
42:28I think this was long overdue.
42:32BJP's winning in Mumbai was long, long, long overdue.
42:35This has happened today, number one.
42:37Number two, I still don't believe that Uddav Thakre is like done and dusted and, you know, no more future for Uddav Thakre.
42:46Because I genuinely believe that after 25 years, long years being in power, a routine incumbency like an assembly election or any other election would have done.
42:56In fact, 25 years long period, if Mumbai would have been stayed, probably it would have been compared by none other but BJP's grip in Gujarat or maybe Biju Jantadal's grip in Odisha.
43:10You know, it would have been compared with that.
43:13But when that is a long time, anti-incumbency sets in.
43:18The very fact that Uddav Thakre remains the key opposition pole in Mumbai is something which he should be taking solace in.
43:27And that's where his policy, politics will always remain rooted.
43:30So you're saying BJP's time in a way has come.
43:33Uddav Thakre has become a principal pole of the opposition.
43:37Devendra Fadnavis is speaking at the moment, Sahil Zoshi, in Nagpur.
43:40And that's a good time to come to you to ask the Fadnavis factor.
43:44Do you see Devendra Fadnavis now emerging as this dominant leader?
43:48Girish Kuber says, BJP's allies have taken a hit.
43:52Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde have both taken a hit.
43:54One in Mumbai, one in Pune.
43:57As a result, is Devendra Fadnavis now the undisputed leader of Maharashtra?
44:02Well, at this point of time, yes.
44:04And Devendra Fadnavis has all the might of the BJP, its cadre.
44:10At the same time, RSS along with him.
44:13And that is how he is building his party here.
44:15At the same time, I agree with what Girish Kuber was mentioning.
44:19Because the Pune results are quite glaring open.
44:23The way BJP has dominated Pune municipal corporation elections.
44:27But at the same time, BJP has managed to reach to the level of Eknath Shinde.
44:33In Kalyan Dombuli, which is also another bastion of Eknath Shinde.
44:37Despite contesting 12 seats lesser than Eknath Shinde.
44:40In Thane also, they have done much better.
44:42In Mumbai, in fact, the BJP had just managed to win 4 more seats than what they had won in 2017.
44:50Despite fighting alone.
44:52This time, they were having an alliance with Eknath Shinde.
44:57So, more importantly, what I can see right now is that Devendra Fadnavis is undisputed leader.
45:02I need a song at the end.
45:03He is not only deciding what the BJP is going to do.
45:10But at the same time, his strategies are also kind of forcing opposition parties to decide whether to come together.
45:19Whether to go against each other.
45:21And that is exactly what I can see at this point.
45:24So, you are saying that Devendra Fadnavis, has he positioned himself, Sahil, as a Hindutva hero?
45:31So, as a Vikas Purush, is he trying to develop a Maharashtra model like Narendra Modi tried when he was Gujarat chief minister?
45:38And then use that to become a front-ranking leader at the center?
45:42Do you see that?
45:42You have tracked Fadnavis closely.
45:45Does he now, is he going to use this moment to propel himself on the national stage?
45:49Or is he content with being in Maharashtra for now?
45:51Well, when he started in politics, he was never known as somebody who has a Hindutva background.
45:58I mean, he of course comes from the BJP and RSS.
46:02He had an RSS background.
46:04His father was MLC from Nagpur and a hardcore RSS Pracharak.
46:09So, obviously, he had that background.
46:11But his own image was never like a Pracharak or somebody who used to talk some rabble-rousing speeches, Hindutva speeches in Maharashtra Assembly.
46:19He was more known for speaking on policies, on corruption against the government, making a point very accurately.
46:27And, you know, that was his image.
46:29In 2014, when he came to power, again, his image came as somebody who is young, 43 years old, understands the infrastructure needs of a city like Mumbai, pushing for the metro project and all that stuff.
46:42Today, when he came to BJP office and he made the speech in front of his BJP workers, he made a very interesting point.
46:49He started his speech saying that, you know, nothing else works.
46:53Just talk about the development and go on that agenda and this is the victory for the development.
46:58But, in the end, he added one thing, that Hindutva is our pran.
47:02And that is how, you know, we can identify ourselves.
47:05So, basically, he's trying to club this Hindutva with the development agenda.
47:09Very, very interesting.
47:10Because if that is the case, Girish Kuber, there's a bit of the Narendra Modi model.
47:15You see, he also is quite ruthless.
47:17Devendra Farnamish knows also how to deal with his political opponents.
47:20He hasn't forgiven them for that one-week-long experiment that went wrong.
47:24Do you get a sense that this election, if Devendra Farnamish over the next four years is able to build himself in Maharashtra,
47:32he gets a platform to move to Delhi as a Gen-next leader of the BJP?
47:36Yes, very much.
47:37Very much.
47:38But he has learned his lesson, you know, in 2019.
47:41There was a slogan, Devendra after Narendra.
47:43And some of his collides, they raised these slogans and Devendra paid the heavy price, you know.
47:52And if you remember, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra went to polls simultaneously.
47:59But BJP leadership, Amit Shah, personally handled issues there.
48:04And he left Maharashtra completely unattended.
48:07And that's how Shiv Sena and Congress and NCP alliance came to power.
48:13Haryana, sorry, it was my Chhattisgarh.
48:15So, are you saying, no, because, you see, is this about an individual called Farnamish?
48:20Or is Maharashtra becoming a Hindutva state?
48:23Is Maharashtra now a Hindutva state?
48:26There is Vikas, which they, in terms of infrastructure.
48:29But is the Hindutva politics now becoming more and more normalized in Maharashtra?
48:34Which otherwise spoke about itself as an, in a way, a progressive, Phule Shahu Ambedkar.
48:39From Phule Shahu Ambedkar, is it becoming more of a state of a Golvalkar, Savarkar kind of politics?
48:45Well, we can, what we can safely say is that Maharashtra is inching towards the cowbell.
48:52That's safely, we can say.
48:53The way BJP is handling its affairs in Maharashtra, there is a, there is a, even in Mumbai election, you must have noted, there are a lot of Hindutva, you know, the Muslims and there might be Sydney happening at Girgav Chaupadi and those kind of fears were raised.
49:07So, there is definitely an attempt.
49:09And now, even within the BJP, I'm sure you also are aware, the competition among second rank leader is, who is more Hindutva wadi?
49:20So, so now game up, looking more saffron, when you have Assam chief minister, when there are candidates like Yogi Arityanath.
49:30So, BJP leadership, though Devendra is very much kind of a softer compared to those, but he also will play his card.
49:39But fortunately for Devendra, if the race for the, who after Narendra comes up, he has a very strong, very, very strong backing in the RSS.
49:48It was, Assam, the election was basically RSS and Devendra Fandavis.
49:53It was not RSS and the BJP.
49:55Similarly, this election, it was entirely BJP, though obviously it was successful.
50:00But I, I, I, I, Sahil, can I just ask, away from Fandavis.
50:04Fandavis, big winner.
50:05Yeah.
50:05Big losers, according to Girish Kuber, were Ajit Pawar and Ikna Chinde.
50:11Some would say Raj Thakre as well.
50:12Yeah.
50:13You know, because Raj Thakre has just not been able to pull his weight.
50:16What about the Congress party?
50:17Do you see any revival at all when you try?
50:20Or is the, what has gone so badly wrong with the Congress in Maharashtra state which they once dominated?
50:26Well, the BJP has understood how to defeat Congress in Maharashtra.
50:30You know, they understood that the Congress is also a kind of a commoderate of big leaders across Maharashtra.
50:35And then there is one appointed chief minister from the center or the high command,
50:40which actually, who is to control the whole party at that time.
50:43And the party machinery was intact.
50:44So, look at what BJP did after 2014.
50:48They attacked Congress at the places where their leaders were strong.
50:52They took Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil in Ahilya Nagar, Ashok Chawan in Nanded.
50:56And wherever they have taken these big leaders from a particular district, the Congress has gotten over there.
51:02Dharan Rane, who actually came to Congress from Shiv Sena,
51:05they took Dharan Rane after 2014 and look what happened to Congress in Konkan.
51:09The Konkan Belt Congress is almost non-existent in Mumbai.
51:14So, Congress has played very short-term politics and has paid a price now for it.
51:18Absolutely.
51:19But at the same time, now the Congress, look at the results.
51:24Even now, the municipal corporation, where the Congress has won,
51:28where they have the local satrap intact.
51:30In Latour, they have won.
51:31Amit Deshmukh is there.
51:33That's Vilasra Deshmukh's son.
51:34Vilasra Deshmukh's son.
51:35In Kolapur, they have won.
51:37Or they are the single largest party there.
51:39Because Satyaj Patil, the local Congress leader, is still with the Congress party.
51:44Now, just imagine if those two leaders are not with the Congress party.
51:48Where is the Congress plan for the next generation?
51:50So, Uddav Thakre, after this election, will be taking the center stage of the opposition parties.
51:58And the Congress will have to accept it.
52:00If they like it or not, they will have to accept it.
52:01Interesting.
52:02That's very interesting.
52:03Uddav Thakre could become the magnet for the opposition.
52:06Where does that leave the powers?
52:07Very quickly, Yashwat Deshmukh, do you see the likes of the powers in terms of just the numbers that they got in this election?
52:16Do you see a revival at all?
52:17A quick answer.
52:18Well, Radhi, the choice in Maharashtra is now between Saffron and Deep Saffron and, you know, the people who are competing for these two attacks, you know.
52:29And Mr. Kubez rightly said, it is a state which arguably is no more between secular and the right-wing kind of situation.
52:42It is a right-wing and far-right kind of situation.
52:45And look at the numbers which they have won.
52:48Which is the number one party?
52:49Which is the number two party?
52:50Which is the number three party?
52:51The top three parties in Maharashtra today are basically looking or competing for the Hindutva circle.
52:57And look at Congress.
52:59Where exactly Congress is competing?
53:01That universe is being competed by Mr. OSC and Islam party.
53:06Are you getting the grip?
53:07That's very interesting the way Maharashtra's politics has changed.
53:11This, remember, Girish and I were in the 80s in Maharashtra.
53:15It was a very different Maharashtra politics.
53:17Then it was internal battles within the Congress.
53:20And Maharashtra now is almost being seen, as my guest suggests, competing between pale Hindutva and strong Hindutva.
53:26Sahil, Zoshi, Girish, Kuber, Yashwan, Deshmukh.
53:29Great to have you.
53:30And just to reflect on that point, just to give you a sobering thought.
53:34Shrikant Pangarkar, accused in the murder case of journalist Gowri Lankesh.
53:40He won from Jalna.
53:41Has won from the Jalna Municipal Corporation.
53:43Let me repeat that.
53:44Shrikant Pangarkar, who is accused in the Gowri Lankesh case, contested the election as an independent.
53:52Before the assembly elections in November 2024, he had joined the Shinde Sena.
53:57Strong public backlash.
53:59Eknath Shinde was forced to remove him from the party.
54:02Karnataka High Court granted him bail in the Gowri Lankesh case in September 2024.
54:08Remember, Gowri Lankesh was shot dead outside a residence.
54:11And today, well, he's got justice, he says, from the court of the people.
54:16I just want to leave you with that as a sobering thought.
54:19To think of the kind of people sometimes who get elected.
54:23On that note, thank you to all my guests for joining me.
54:28And I want to leave you, if my producer has some time, with a song.
54:34On days like this, you look at the winners.
54:38And the winner undoubtedly is the BJP and Devendra Fadnaves.
54:42How they've done it, we'll leave it to you to decide.
54:46There's an element of Vikas, element of Hindutva, element of Samdham Dandabhed politics,
54:51element of a fragmented opposition, elements of institutional power.
54:55Either way, BJP is now party number one in Maharashtra.
55:00Thanks for watching.
55:01Stay well.
55:02Stay safe.
55:02Jai Maharashtra.
55:04Jai Maharashtra.
55:11Maharashtra, Jai Maharashtra.
55:12Maharashtra ka je, Maharashtra ki jantta ko,
55:16and our kari karatauka, we'll be smart.
55:18Maharashtra, Jai Maharashtra.
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